Far and near

"Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away? Jeremiah 23:23

My job has taken me on the road for a couple of days. Traveling like that and spending the night alone in a hotel room always throws me out of my routine. Even when my prayers and devotion time is only slightly modified, I seem to lose focus and contact and find myself feeling far from God. I remind myself that when God seems far away the real question is who moved? It wasn’t the unmovable, unshakable God. I’m the one who has strayed. But why?

Upon evaluation of the of my heart and mind, I find that somehow being away from home causes a change in my mental state which changes my relationship with God. I hope that is not uncommon in normal people (I consider myself at least an associate member of that club.) Perhaps not, since dramatic changes in other aspects of my life seem to produce a similar effect. I comforted by the words in Deuteronomy 30:4, Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back.

With all this in mind, I vow to maintain a vigilant watch for any evidence of my heart straying from the presence of God as circumstances or environment change. God says, "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 He’s always here, I just need to do a better job of recognizing Him in a different surrounding.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.