Defining God’s Distance
“Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.” Psalm 138:6 NKJV
As we go through our life day by day, it is easy to feel separation from God. How many times have you asked the question “Lord where are you?” When we first walked in the freedom and joys of salvation we felt His presence and the certainty of His being with us always, but as the days turn into years and life in this fallen world beats against us every day, it is easy for us to lose that sense of His presence in our lives.
Psalm 138 makes it clear that God the Father is in a different realm than we are. Truly He is in the heavenly realm, in the spiritual realm that is impossible for us to see or sense while we are in the confines of this flesh. God is on high, well above the failings of this earth. While that sounds like He is distant and can make us feel separated from Him, the truth is that even though He is on high, He is right here with us. In fact, He dwells within us through His Spirit that filled us upon our salvation and dwells within our spirits always. He is never far from you because the reassuring truth is, He is in you. You cannot possibly get any closer than in you!
And yet that distance still feels real and sizable at times. The fact is that we are the ones that create that distance between God and self. The only distance that there is we create with our attitudes. The verse above says that God (on high and in the spirit realm) still regards the lowly. We read “regards” as if that means God sees us from the heights of heaven and gives a distant and non-committal nod to us, staying above the fray. That is not the truth at all. In fact, the word there which we read as “regard” actually means, “to bring them into fellowship with Him”. That is a whole lot different than a deferential nod from above the fray. He is in you and with you right now. And He is in this life every moment of the day inviting you to be with Him and fellowship with Him in His peace, love and many outstanding benefits.
When we learn He is fellowshipping with the lowly that does not mean those that are beneath Him. The lowly are the ones who have lowered themselves in humility. They trust not in self or this flesh, but they place their trust and hope totally in Jesus. When we make ourselves humble and trust in Him we feel all that perceived distance evaporate as we dwell with Him and He dwells us. It is when we trust in self, which is pride, that we create that distance between self and Jesus. The Lord is on high but through Jesus Christ, He has made way for us to be with Him there. Today walk in the confidence and assurance of His presence walking with you through everything, for your victory.
J Todd Hostetler