Doves On Distant Oaks

Always Near

Not long ago, my wife and I were flying home. It was a very dismal day. The sky was terribly overcast and there was a continual driving rain. It was not the kind of weather anyone would choose to travel in. We checked in, found our way to our seats, and I casually turned to watch us take off. Gazing out the window, I watched as we soared above the clouds and burst into bright sunshine.

I love that when it happens. Our day flipped from depressing to one filled with joy. I had seen that sight many times because I often flew for my job, but rarely had it made such an impression on me. This time, I was suddenly reminded that God, like the sun, is ever present.

We sometimes feel like God has turned His back on us. Things have just begun to go so terribly wrong. Often, when we feel that way, its not one thing, but several things that simply seem to be sliding downhill on us. It could be something at our job, in our family, in a relationship, financially, socially ... the list goes on. When it's one thing, we tend to shake it off, but when it comes at us from several directions, we turn our faces to the sky and say, "Why, God? Why are you doing this to me?"

But just like the sun that day, which was covered by the clouds, God never deserts us. He may become blocked, not by anything he sends, but by the things we allow to creep into our life. When things go wrong, we are the ones who build up the cloud bank that separates us from God.

Even in the dark, God is still there. And like the earth that turns it's back on the sun when the darkness falls, its each of us that turn our backs on God. The sun never changes position, and neither does God. We are the ones that move.

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, "You are my servant"; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

–Isaiah 41:9-10

Keywords: God, Omnipresent

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