The nearness of God

Where is God? In John 4:24 (KJV), Jesus says,

God is a Spirit.

Being a spirit, he is anywhere and everywhere, all at the same time.
God, himself, expresses this concept clearly through Jeremiah (23:23-24, KJV),

Am I a God at hand ... and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? ... Do not I fill heaven and earth?

This omnipresence of God speaks first and foremost to his infinite power. Our finite minds cannot process such infinite presence. But it also speaks to his nearness. Even now, as I type on my keyboard, God is here, watching my actions and reading my thoughts. That should provide motivation for me to remain obedient, but more important, when I stumble, it means that God understands my weaknesses, and is ready to forgive when I confess.

The "nearness of God" is one of his defining features, and one that we should acknowledge in prayer.

But thou didst trust in thine own beauty

In chapter 16 of Ezekiel, God spends verses 1-14 outlining all of the blessings he bestowed upon his people. As we pray today, let us read those 14 verses, pause for a moment, and reflect upon how God has provided for us.

But then continue to verse 15, which begins (KJV),

But thou didst trust in thine own beauty...

So many of our sins stem from this very problem. We gladly accept God's blessings, including the very blessing of being alive. But then we turn our attention and adoration to those blessings themselves, rather than toward he who provided them.

In our prayers today, let us focus (as Paul put it) on the creator rather than the creation.