God is near and that changes everything

Oh, how God wants you to hear his music.

He has a rhythm that will race your heart and lyrics that will stir your tears. You want to journey to the stars? He can take you there. You want to lie down in peace? His music can soothe your soul.

But first, he’s got to get rid of that country-western stuff. (Forgive me, Nashville. Only an example.)

And so he begins tossing the CDs. A friend turns away. The job goes bad. Your spouse doesn’t understand. The church is dull. One by one he removes the options until all you have left is God.

He would do that? Absolutely. “The Lord disciplines those he loves” (Heb. 12:6). If he must silence every voice, he will. He wants you to hear his music. He wants you to discover what David discovered and to be able to say what David said.

“You are with me.”

Yes, you, Lord, are in heaven. Yes, you rule the universe. Yes, you sit upon the stars and make your home in the deep. But yes, yes, yes, you are with me.

The Lord is with me. The Creator is with me. Yahweh is with me.

Moses proclaimed it: “What great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us” (Deut. 4:7 NLT).

Paul announced it: “He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27 NIV).

And David discovered it: “You are with me.”

Somewhere in the pasture, wilderness, or palace, David discovered that God meant business when he said:

“I will not leave you” (Gen. 28:15).

“I will … not forsake My people” (1 Kings 6:13 NKJV).

“The LORD will not abandon His people” (Ps. 94:14 NASB).

“God … will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6 NIV).

The discovery of David is indeed the message of Scripture—the Lord is with us. And, since the Lord is near, everything is different. Everything!

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