Never Far From Us

II Chronicles 15:8–12

“When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple. Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.”

God is not far from each one of us no matter where we are (Acts 17:27). King Asa took it as words of encouragement because he had a heart that is right with God and from where he is standing there was much to do. We can feel overwhelmed at times in our lives and our current circumstances, struggles, and often we feel we are far from God. Let us draw near to God, strive to revere and enthrone Him in our hearts every day, regardless of our emotional state: “Holy Spirit, all divine, dwell in this heart of mine; cast down every idol throne, reign supreme and reign alone.” Today, let us pray with Living Life and in so doing may we reaffirm our commitment to Jesus Christ and His Gospel: “LORD, give me the boldness to speak Your truth and to work toward the transformation of my community. I pray that my generation will turn away from their idols and seek You, the living God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”