Acts 17:24-29New American Standard Bible 1995

²⁴ The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; ²⁵ nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; ²⁶ and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷ that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for in Him we live and move and ^[a]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ ²⁹ Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

How far is too far away?

How far is not far enough?

How close is not close enough?

How near is not near enough?

How far is the north from the south?

How far is the east from the west?

There have been far too many times when I have felt far from God.

I have asked myself those rhetorical questions listed above far too often in the past year as I have been trying to find a physical and spiritual balance after my heart surgery last year. Rather than feeling a naturally close bond with Him, I too often have the unnatural feeling as though He is fifty million miles away.

If in this moment you are also struggling with feeling far from God, know that you are not alone. Most Christians have felt as far from God as the east is from the west, north from south at the same time least once in their walk with Him.

Psalm 13:1-4 The Message

13 ^1-2 Long enough, God—
    you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head
    long enough. Long enough
I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
    lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
    have looked down their noses at me.

^3-4 Take a good look at me, God, my God;
    I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
    or laugh when I fall on my face.

This can be due to various factors such as health related and financial; however, there is a remedy for this feeling and it is found in God, the Father, Son, Spirit.

It is common to feel far from God, yet we never truly are far from Him.

Feeling far from God is a feeling—it is not a fact.

As believers, sometimes we will have to rely on what truth we know through the Word of God rather than what we feel. Feelings can come and go, feelings can linger, feelings will influence how we respond, yet God’s truth never changes.

There will be many times that we will rely too heavily on overwhelming feelings and not remember we have to rely on what indelible truth God’s Words reveal through the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit, rather than what we’ll feel. 

God is greater than our feelings and just because we don’t feel Him doesn’t mean He is not there. God is always with us and always walking beside us.

He is never far from any of His children as He is always just one prayer away.

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Sin can often make us run from God, which can make God feel distant from us.

When this happens, we have to know it is not God who is far from us, but that we are far from Him.

Genesis 3:6-10 Amplified Bible

⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband ^[a]with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the ^[b]presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹  But the  Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

In the beginning, Just as Adam and Eve fell into temptation, ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, became self aware and then ran and hid from God in the Garden after they were aware of their nakedness and sin (Genesis 3:7-24), we too fall to temptation run and hide from God when we have sin in our own lives.

If this is a possibility for you, and clearly not one of us is exempt from falling to sin and temptation, rest in the peace that you can repent and turn back to Him.

After repentance and asking God for forgiveness, for a new heart, you might not feel very far from Him anymore. You could feel closer to Him than ever before.

What Will It Take For Me To Accept God is that Close?

Acts 17:24-29The Message

^24-29 “The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?

What a tremendous encouragement this passage from Acts should, could and would be for all who will seek God! This verse tells us that not only will we find God if we seek him, but we will not have far to look. He is close to us already.

How so?

For some of us, God may seem distant.

Maybe we think of heaven, God’s home, as far, too far away on the other “side” of this immense universe.

Paul disagrees.

God is a lot closer than we might think or take the necessary time to accept.

He is right here, right now.

All we need to do is “notice” the signs of his presence in our very existence.

Psalm 19 The Message

19 ^1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
    God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
    Professor Night lectures each evening.

^3-4 Their words aren’t heard,
    their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
    unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.

^4-5 God makes a huge dome
    for the sun—a superdome!
The morning sun’s a new husband
    leaping from his honeymoon bed,
The daybreaking sun an athlete
    racing to the tape.

⁶ That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies
    from sunrise to sunset,
Melting ice, scorching deserts,
    warming hearts to faith.

^7-9 The revelation of God is whole
    and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
    and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
    showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
    and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
    with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
    down to the nth degree.

¹⁰ God’s Word is better than a diamond,
    better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,
    better than red, ripe strawberries.

^11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
    and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
    Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
    Keep me from stupid sins,
    from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
    scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
    these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
    on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
    God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

We’re alive.

Where did our life come from?

From God!

We exist.

We move.

How so?

Our very mobility and being show that God is the source of our life.

More than that, claims Paul, God gave us ancestors and even prepared a place for each of them to live.

That’s also how we showed up—at a specific address, on a certain day.

An accident?

Random chance?

No! assures Paul.

God was at work, choreographing even our birth date and birth place as clues to his immediate involvement in our existence from day one.

To find God, an inviting first step is simply to embrace what we so deeply want to believe: our very existence can’t be just an accident.

We are not flukes.

We are created in the Image of God.

We know this deep in our very bones.

Life—our very life, existence—came from God, God alone. (Psalm 139:1 – 18)

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As Paul says in Acts 17:26-27, God is not far from any of us.

God appointed times in history and marked our boundary lands in order for humankind to seek Him out.

With proper searching, God wants us to reach out and find Him as He is not far from each of us.

God did not create the earth and everything in it just to leave His creation abandoned. Even though this is a popular idea among agnostics, it is not true.

God created the earth and everything in it in order to reveal His glory.

Through general and special revelation, God hoped some of us would take notice and reach out to Him.

As believers, who already know the Lord, He wants us to know that we can always reach out to Him.

There will never be a day when God will be far from us. 

The Lord is by our side through every difficult day.

Feeling far away from God is common, yet He wants us to reach out to Him.

Whenever you feel you are far from God, first remember that feelings are not facts. After you have reminded yourself of this truth, turn to God in prayer.

Ask Him to help you know that you are with Him and to also reveal any sin in your life that could be making you run from God. (Psalm 51, Psalm 139:23-24)

Give the Lord time and He will give you answers.

Through reading the Bible and personal conviction, God will instruct you.

Even if sin is what is causing you to feel far from God, rest in the knowledge that it is not terminal.

You can turn to God, ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive you (1 John 1:9).

Through reading and studying God’s Holy Scriptures, praying for our God’s forgiveness and active repentance, you will not feel as far from God anymore. 

If you are feeling far from God due to depression or feelings of deep sorrow, know that God is still with you in this dark valley.

Depression can be very difficult, isolating, yet God sits with you in the pain.

When we are going through depression, it can make us feel alone and as though nobody cares about us.

These are lies of the depression that we must combat and fight against.

God never leaves us alone, He loves us without conditions (Romans 8:37-39).

Run to Him instead of away from Him.

He will surround you with His love, peace, and protection.

Psalm 125 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord Surrounds His People.

A Song of Ascents.

125 Those who trust in the Lord
Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.
² As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.
³ For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the ^[a]land of the righteous,
So that the righteous will not put forth their hands to do wrong.

⁴ Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
And to those who are upright in their hearts.
⁵ But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,
The Lord will lead them away with the doers of iniquity.
Peace be upon Israel.

With time and prayer, you won’t feel as far from God anymore.

He created you, He loves you, and that will never change. 

Hebrews 13:8 Amplified Bible

⁸ Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.

• Do you feel far from God today? If so, what can you do to help you feel closer to Him?
• God is not far from each of us. Does resting in this promise bring you comfort? Why or why not?
• How can you rely on what you know rather than how you feel?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirt,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 The Message

23 ^1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

⁴ Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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