Sunday Devotional: Beyond His Reach?

 

 

“I’ve been the one to believe

that where I am

You cannot reach.”

-MercyMe, You Are I Am

 

Have you ever believed this? Have you ever thought that you were too far for God to reach you? I think almost every Christian has. I know I have. Which, when you think about it, seems a little arrogant. God of the Universe, Creator of everything, and you’re too far away for Him to reach you? How does that work? What could you have possibly done that He wouldn’t be able to reach you?

Anyway, have you ever noticed that even when you think that, there is some small part of you that seriously hopes you’re wrong? Because without that hope, you have nothing. If you’re too far gone for even God to care, the God who allowed His own Son to be brutally murdered for you, then what’s left? Pretty much everyone has heard Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [NIV]

I find it interesting that Paul starts with death and life, in that order. Death seems to us the ultimate separation, but according to Paul, even that cannot keeps up from Him. So if none of those things are able to pull us away from the Lord, then why do we seem to think that anything we could ever do would make Him cast us aside?

I read this quote from Amy Grant a couple years ago and it has stuck with me: “God is never more than an arm’s length away because that’s as far as we can push . . . Thankfully, He is always there within our reach!” Read that line in bold again. “. . . He is always there within our reach.” None of the things Paul listed can remove us from Him, but we can. We can push Him away and He won’t force us to come back. That isn’t the kind of God He is. He wants followers who are willing to give their all and love Him with everything they have.  

So if you are feeling distant from God, I pray that you will remember that you are never outside His reach.

 

Lord, please forgive us for our arrogance and help us to see that You are always there. You will never leave us. You will never abandon us to our own devices and we are never so far as to be beyond Your reach. Amen.