“At 10,000 feet above sea level, when I pray, I’m practically whispering in God’s ear,” I texted a friend the other morning. “Hahaaaa! That’s really cool,” was his response. As often happens when I am trying to be clever, I heard God whisper back to me, “Is that what you really believe?”

As a Christian, I must be careful that I don’t let my frequently irresponsible sense of humor convey a distorted theological truth. Factually speaking, there is no place I can go where I cannot whisper my prayer into the ear of my heavenly Father. There may be times when I feel like God is far away, but that’s because I have turned my back to Him instead of turning my face toward Him.

God’s people, the Israelites, felt that God was far from them, but it was because they had turned away from Him. Through Jeremiah, He corrected that misconception.

“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:23-24, ESV)

King David provides us with a much-needed perspective on just how close God is to His children.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:1-10)

Wherever we go, God is there — or rather, He is here! It matters not if I am high up in the Rocky Mountains or just barely above sea level in Houston, Texas: God is near at hand. I may be tuned out to His presence, but He is tuned in to me.

Isaiah 55:6 gives us the prescription for those who feel far from God: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.”

God tells us He is near to us. Even more encouraging is His eternal love for us. The Apostle Paul gives us reassurance when he tells us, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

The next time you feel you need to go someplace special to find God’s presence, remember He hears you wherever you may be. He is a God at hand. You have His ear!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!