God Is Close, and He Understands
By Rick Warren
“The Lord is near to all who call on him.” Psalm 145:18 (NIV)
God isn’t far away. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He’s as close as your next heartbeat.
He’s right there with you every moment. The Bible says, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27 NIV).
You might feel like God is a million miles away. But your feelings and reality don’t always match. The truth is, God is with you right now.
Here are three truths about your heavenly Father:
He is never too busy for you. Sometimes you get too busy for God. But he never gets too busy for you. That’s the kind of love he has for you. Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him” (NIV). Every time you call, God is near. He thinks about you a lot more than you think about him. He thought about you before you were born and thinks about you every moment of every day.
He loves to meet your needs. He doesn’t do it begrudgingly—he loves it! Matthew 7:11 says, “If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV) Simply enjoy the fact that God loves giving good gifts to you.
He is sympathetic to your hurts. If you’re going through something tough this week, you may need this verse: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 NIV). God is sympathetic. He’s not standing on the sidelines. He’s present in your pain.
God is close to you, and he understands what you’re going through. Turn to him; he’s already there waiting for you!
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Be Encouraged Each Day to Live Out God’s Purposes
As thanks for your gift below to help share the gospel with more people around the world through Daily Hope, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s new book, Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise.
Each devotional starts out with a Bible verse, followed by teaching that explains God’s Word and shows you how to apply it daily so you can face any challenge and live the life you were created to live.
As a special bonus when you give, we’ll also send you What's Driving Your Life?: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start. Featuring 10 hand-picked devotions from Pastor Rick’s new book, they’ll guide anyone feeling stressed, worried, or discouraged toward seeking God for a fresh start.
Request your copy below when you give—and take the first step towards a year of real purpose, lasting peace, and unfailing promises.
Thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
