Robert J. Morgan - Always Near: 10 Ways to Delight in the Closeness of God

O n a wet August night in 1964, my friends Sam and June Wilkinson waited to board a flight in So Paulo. They were traveling with three children, heading home for their first furlough after five years in South America. Four others waited for the same flightfour young men who were chatting with a group of women. Presently a limousine ferried the four fellows from the terminal to the plane. It returned for the Wilkinsons, and the airliner took off into the windswept Brazilian night, headed for its first stop, Lima, Peru.

Sam and June relaxed in their seats and helped the youngsters get comfortable. Looking up, they were surprised to see the four men coming down the aisle and gathering around them, wanting to meet their neighbors. Their easy smiles put the Wilkinsons at ease, especially when one of them pulled out a guitar. When they learned that Sam and June were missionaries, the fellows looked at one another and asked, Now, what is that religious song we know?

A vigorous version of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot ensued as the plane sped through the night. After the impromptu concert, the guys returned to their seats and everyone settled down for naps. Soon they arrived in Lima. The strangers disembarked for a connecting flight to California, and the Wilkinsons continued toward Savannah.

Only after their new friends left the plane did Sam and June, who had been rather isolated, learn the identity of the fellows with floppy hair and easy smiles. My friends had been traveling with John, Paul, George, and Ringothe Beatleswho were headed to California for their second electrifying tour of the United States.

Imagine! Sharing a private, high-altitude concert with the Fab Four without realizing who they were! June told me she later wondered if she could have put her boys through college had she gotten pictures and autographs. Yet the memory is priceless, and June enjoys telling the story to this day.

Talk about rare air. Sometimes we dont know with whom were traveling. Its incredible to contemplate the possibility of being in the presence of glory and grandeur and greatness without realizing the significance of the moment.

As June told her story, I thought of another man who took a journey without realizing with whom he traveled. In Genesis 28, a man named Jacob was in trouble and running from home after cheating his father and brother. He reached a certain place in the desert and stopped for the night. Resting his head on a stone, Jacob had the most vivid dream of his lifea vision of a stairway from earth to heaven, with the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Above it stood God Almighty, who said, I am the L ORD , the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying (Genesis 28:13).

Sometimes we dont know with whom were traveling.

The Lord reaffirmed the unbreakable promises previously given to Abraham, then God spoke personally to the young man: I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.... I will not leave you (Genesis 28:15).

Jacob awoke and exclaimed, Surely the L ORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.... How awesome is this place! (vv. 1617).

How awesome to discover the presence of God with us and to say, Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it! How wonderful to personally claim His words: I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will not leave you.

According to the Bible, God is nearer than we know. He is closer than we think. His eyes see us. His love encircles us. His presence comforts us as we lean into His nearness. Like Jacob, we often feel alone, outmatched by trouble, running from mistakes, overwhelmed. But we must remind ourselves that God is in the room. He is here, in this place.

You can relax in His presence and let debilitating stress drain from your nerves. You can cast your cares on Him who travels beside you. According to Psalm 16:11, there is joy in His presence. You can enjoy intimacy with God just when you need Him most.

Using a rich selection of scriptures, I want to show you how to experience the nearness of the God who made you, who loves you, and who wants you to encounter His closeness. The suggestions Ill share represent the habitual lifestyle of those walking with and enjoying the company of the God who said in Isaiah 41:10: