It’s amazing how we don’t realize how important something is until it’s taken away. As we continue our social distancing, we feel the effects of not being able to communicate with “touch.” A handshake, high five, hand on the shoulder, hugs, kisses (teens, this one is just for your moms lol), and close proximity to each other communicate on a level that no other sense can. This physical display of closeness I believe has a direct correlation to the closeness God wants to have with us. In Scripture, we find that God uses the physical to help us understand the spiritual. Though God is a spirit and does not have a body, Scripture at times uses what we call “personification” in which God is portrayed as having human attributes (i.e. hands, feet, nose, etc., and in this instance – proximity) to help us understand better about who He is. Here are some of those accounts for us to reflect upon.
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 18:16 He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.
Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the one you choose to bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.
Though we have physical limitations with each other for an undetermined amount of time, there are no limits to our closeness to God. Draw near to Him, and He promises He will draw near to you (James 4:8)! You can be as close to God as you want to be. God is with us, right by our side. Let’s rest in that reality and let the world know they can do the same.
In His service,
Pastor Chris
