God Is Close
By Rick Warren

“The Lord is near to all who call on him” (Psalm 145:18a NIV).

God is not as far away as the furthest star. He’s as close as your next heartbeat. He’s right there with you every moment. The Bible says in Acts 17:27, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (NIV).

You might feel like God is a million miles away. But your feelings and reality don’t always match — we all know that’s true. The truth is, God is with you right now.

Because he is a close Father:

God is never too busy for you. That’s how close he is. That’s the kind of love that he has. Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him.” Every time you call, God is near. He thinks about you a lot more than you think about him. He thought about you before you were born. He thinks about you every moment of every day. The truth is that too many times, we get too busy for God. But he never gets too busy for us.

God loves to meet your needs. He doesn’t do it begrudgingly. He loves it! Mathew 7:11 says, “If you ... know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” You can enjoy the fact that God enjoys giving good gifts to you.

God is sympathetic to your hurts. Some of you are going through something tough this week, and you need this verse: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

God is close to you, and he understands. Turn to him.

Play today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

• What do you need to call on God for today?
• How can you know that God is close to you?
• What changes do you need to make in your life so that you are not too busy for God?

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

The Most Requested Rick Warren Sermons - Vol. 3

Do you want to experience a joy filled Christian life?  If you do, then it’s essential to anchor your life in the wisdom of God’s Word. That’s why we’ve assembled a very special 6 CD collection of Pastor Rick’s most requested teachings. Many people have shared that these messages have inspired them spiritually and also helped them in very practical ways. You’ll want to listen to these teachings again and again and share them with your family members and friends.  

This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

You can also listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.