Ordinary Time

Pause

Stop.

Dial down the volume in your life. Breathe deeply, close your eyes, and listen.

Can you hear it, the still small voice?

You are not alone. God is near. The great I AM is with you — now and always.

Revel in God’s nearness.

Listen

“God made the nations so they would seek him, perhaps even reach out to him and find him. In fact, God isn’t far away from any of us. In God we live, move, and exist. As some of your own poets said, ‘We are his offspring.’”

Acts 17:27-28

Think

“God isn’t far from any of us.” That’s what the verse says, yet it seems impossible — near all of us all the time? Hey, God is big enough to be everywhere. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve accepted that some mysteries simply require faith. If God can make our universe and maybe a multiverse beyond it, don’t you think God can be with you, me, and the rest of humankind?

I’m a pretty big guy — over six feet and more than 200 pounds. Even so, I feel small around a couple of my relatives. We’re talking big, shadow-casting dudes. I never worry when I hang out with Luther or Jonathan.

This said, our God, the One with us all the time, is far bigger than my relatives, bigger than any person you or I know. Nothing is beyond God’s reach or care. Remember this when you feel small.

Share the simple truth that God is near with a friend today.

Bill Ogletree

Pray

God, you must be busy because you are with us all the time. I know I am never alone. Help me to rest more easily in your shadow. Thank you for being near. Amen.

Go

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

from “Whom Shall I Fear” by Chris Tomlin, 2013