God is Righteous

Righteous:  That which is upright.  God is righteous, and He always acts only in keeping with what is just.

“The Righteousness of God is an attribute closely related to His Holiness. It specifically speaks of God’s perfect conformity to His Law ... not that He is subject to that standard for God IS the standard! As the standard, God is the perfect Judge of the just and the unjust, and the punisher of all evil.” (p. 31)   http://www.biblestudycd.com/Theology/righteousness.pdf

 

Righteousness is a theme throughout the Scriptures.

"The judge of all the earth shall do right" (Gen. 18:25).

God is a "righteous judge" (2 Tim. 4:8).

"He shall judge the world in righteousness" (Psa. 9:8; Acts 17:31).

 

The Father:  “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.”  (John 17:25)

The Son is the "righteous advocate" (1 Jn. 2:2),

The Spirit was sent "to convict the world of righteousness" (Jn. 16:8, 10).

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”   (I John 2:1)

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
   and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
   upright and just is he.”   Deuteronomy 32:4

“In his final words to Israel, (See Deuteronomy 32:4 above) Moses proclaims the righteousness of God, in the perfection of His work and the justness of His ways. The Israelites are about to enter the land promised them by God. In preparation, God has warned Moses that they will forsake Him and break the covenant He made with them by worshiping other gods. So these words of Moses are designed to lay

the foundation for the judgments of God that are sure to come. The cornerstone of that foundation is the righteousness of God.”

“God will judge us. Make no mistake about that. But in His judgments, God will always be just. It is impossible for Him not to be, for God cannot help but be just. Because God is righteous, He alone has the right to judge, for His judgments are always perfect and just.” (ibid. 32)

“After the suffering of his soul,
   he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
   and he will bear their iniquities.”  (Isa. 53:11)

 “Declare what is to be, present it—
   let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
   who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the LORD?
   And there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
   there is none but me.” (Isa 45:21)

“The Righteousness of God is that perfection by which God is both the Standard and Judge of righteousness. It is that attribute which ought to fill us with the fear of God, and the motivation to keep us from anything that would cause His displeasure. Though the world tries to diminish and even eliminate this aspect of God, it is this aspect to which we will all have to give an account. Every person will be measured against God’s perfect Righteousness. And only those who have repented of their sin, received God’s forgiveness in Christ and been credited with the righteousness of Jesus, will be able to measure up to God’s perfect standard!” (ibid. 33)  

Watch and listen to this great song:  "Abba Father"

Beautiful song…beautiful graphics….wonderful God!

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAe5IBJ3RAI

God is Just

Just: God rules with absolute justice. Not fooled by appearances, God is fair, equitable, and impartial in all of His judgments. 

Did you ever feel like you were wronged?  That what someone did to you was unjust?  Have you ever cried out for justice?

Yes, there are many inequities in our world.  People all around are crying out for justice!

Know this:  God will make all things right.  One day everyone will stand before God and will give account for the things they have done.

God is just in all His ways.  "I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve" (Jeremiah 17:10)

Genesis 18:24-25 makes a powerful statement in regards to a tough situation:  “²⁴ Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (emphasis added)

Ever felt like you gave and gave to help people, especially the people of the Church and you were either looked down on or not appreciated….you felt cheated?  You felt like God didn't even see what you did?

Listen to what the writer to the Hebrews said:  “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”  (Hebrews 6:10)

He will reward you.  Others may have forgotten, but God has not forgotten!

 "We give thanks to you, O God,
   we give thanks, for your Name is near;
   men tell of your wonderful deeds.
 ² You say, “I choose the appointed time;
   it is I who judge uprightly.
³ When the earth and all its people quake,
   it is I who hold its pillars firm.
                         Selah

⁴ To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’
   and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.
⁵ Do not lift your horns against heaven;
   do not speak with outstretched neck.’”
 ⁶ No one from the east or the west
   or from the desert can exalt a man.
⁷ But it is God who judges:
   He brings one down, he exalts another. (Psalm 75:1-7)

2 Thessalonians 1:6   “ God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.”

Dad, thanks for your influence on my life!

(Note:  I discovered I had written this a few years ago and had failed to publish it.  Dad passed away a few years ago, but I am continually influenced by him.  Therefore, as the saying goes. "Better late than never." So, here it is.  Dad's influence continues daily.  By the way, when I look in the mirror, the older I get, I am reminded more and more of him!)

Influence can be defined as the act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command; the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways.

Influence….father….yes, the two go together. In fact, the two are inseparable.

I look at the picture above taken in August 2003 in New Richmond as members of our family sat together after moving mother and dad into their new apartment. You see, dad had had several “mini-strokes” and needed to be near one of his sons. My brother Curtis and his wife, Andrea, so graciously found a wonderful place for them to live.

We all sat down for a Chinese buffet after working to set up the apartment. From left to right we have mother (Alice Thomassen), nephew David Thomassen, Andrea Thomassen (David’s mother and Curt’s wife), George (my middle brother – probably on the cell phone to his wife!), myself, Curtis (my youngest brother) and dad. At this time dad was 82. Although he was not able to walk like he did due to the strokes, he was still determined to get around. The next few months would see a dramatic turn of events. By Christmas time he became so weak that he had to go into a nursing home. He continued to become weaker, had more mini strokes, lost his ability to speak, but amazingly, he could still sing!

So, what kind of influence could he still have? Dad would sit in his chair with his Bible and his prayer list and pray for all of us and many, many more people. Was this the first time he had done that? No! Many people will tell you that he did this for years. How do they know? Their name was on his prayer list! I know that all of our family members were on that list….every child, grandchild, cousin and on and on. Not only family but friends, former parishioners, work associates and the list goes on.

The Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

For years, dad prayed for us. Although he has now been gone for almost 3 years, his prayers and life still influence us. His influence impacts many things I do. I still remember how he did things or dealt with people over many years of ministry and I am reminded to do what he did in various situations.

Dad was quiet and often didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to. He lived an exemplary life. Is salt loud and boisterous? No. But can it influence? Try putting too much on your potatoes!

I thank God for the influence of my father. I say, “How can I have been so fortunate to have a father who loved his wife and his children and everyone he met; who was kind and gracious to everyone, particularly those who, as he said it, “were down and out;” who was honest, paid his bills on time, never stole, cheated, was a law-abiding citizen; never drank or cursed or abused his family physically or mentally, etc.?”

My brothers and I, as well as our whole families, were greatly influenced just by observing dad’s life!

How many people in the world would have given their “right arm” (another expression used by dad) to have had such a father. I know that we were privileged to have had his influence.
On this Father’s Day I am reminded that it is not the “great things” we do that are important. Who really cares how much money we have or don’t have, what kinds of “things” we have or don’t have, what our position is or isn’t in life? These things do not influence. They may impress perhaps, but they do not impact our lives like the influence of a good father! Not only a good father, but a godly father.

Dad’s, let’s concentrate on influencing our children with our lives. Our words are important and they are needed. (Dad was not afraid of using words!) The most important thing is to life the life. “Walk the walk.”

So, my dad who came from Norway to Brooklyn, New York, when he was a boy, learned English and later became a U.S. citizen while in the U.S. Army, fought in W.W. II, married, went to college, became a pastor, raised 3 sons, remained faithful to his wife for 60 years, lived until he was 85, might not be known by a lot of people in the world, but he had and continues to have a worldwide influence! His family has ministered around the world; many people he mentored are in positions around the world influencing others; his teaching and training, for example, on “faith promises” has meant countless dollars given to missions; his “doughnuts and pastries” influenced countless numbers of prisoners. I could go on and on.

Dad, again today your influence is providing the impetus to write this blog. To let other people know that they, too, can impact other people’s lives in a positive way.

Frank C. Laubach, whom you loved to read, wrote a book entitled “Prayer, the mightiest Force in the World.” Laubach said, "Prayer is undervalued by all but wise people, because it is so silent and so secret. We are often deceived into thinking that noise is more important than silence. War sounds far more important than the noiseless, growing crop of wheat; yet the silent wheat feeds millions, while war destroys them."

Dad, your life and prayers continue to impact the world through us. May we be faithful like you were! That in itself will influence others!

God Does Not Change

The theological term for God not changing is immutable: All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He cannot change because He is perfect and will remain perfect.

Today, read scripture, comments, and songs about God’s unchanging nature. 

^"In the beginning you made the earth secure.
      You placed it on its foundations.
      Your hands created the heavens.
 ²⁶ They will pass away. But you will remain.
      They will all wear out like a piece of clothing.
   You will make them like clothes
      that are taken off and thrown away.
 ²⁷ But you remain the same.
      Your years will never end.
 ²⁸ Our children will live with you.
      Their sons and daughters will be safe in your care."  (Psalm 102:25-28)

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

  

Sung by Cece Winans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60o3UP4Kjwg

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

“Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17).

J. I. Packer, in his excellent book, Knowing God, includes a chapter on the immutability of God, where he emphasizes the relevance of this attribute to our lives as Christians:

“Where is the sense of distance and difference, then, between believers in Bible time and ourselves? It is excluded. On what grounds? On the grounds that God does not change. Fellowship with Him, trust in His word, living by faith, ‘standing on the promises of God’, are essentially the same realities for us today as they were for Old and New Testament believers. This thought brings comfort as we enter into the perplexities of each day: amid all the changes and uncertainties of life in a nuclear age, God and His Christ remain the same—almighty to save. But the thought brings a searching challenge too. If our God is the same as the God of New Testament believers, how can we justify ourselves in resting content with an experience of communion with Him, and a level of Christian conduct, that falls so far below theirs? If God is the same, this is not an issue that any one of us can evade.”

Unchanging by Chris Tomlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giQll54Qf3U

A W Tozer

The immutability of God appears in its most perfect beauty when viewed against the mutability of men. In God no change is possible; in men change is impossible to escape. Neither the man is fixed nor his world, and he and it are in constant flux.

Tozer adds that...

If God is self-existent, He must be also self-sufficient; and if He has power, He, being infinite, must have all power. If He possesses knowledge, His infinitude assures us that He possesses all knowledge. Similarly, His immutability presuppose His faithfulness. If He is unchanging, it follows that He could not be unfaithful, since that would require Him to change. Any failure within the divine character would argue imperfection and, since God is perfect, it could not occur. Thus the attributes explain each other and prove that they are but glimpses the mind enjoys of the absolutely perfect Godhead.

Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven

By Henry Lyte

1. Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me His praise should sing?
Praise Him, praise Him,
praise Him, praise Him,
Praise the everlasting King.

3. Frail as summer’s flower we flourish
Blows the wind and it is gone
But while mortals rise and perish
God endures unchanging on
Praise Him, praise Him,
praise Him, praise Him,
Praise the high eternal One

 

KEEP THOU MY WAY

By Fanny Crosby

Keep Thou my way, O Lord, be Thou ever nigh;
Strong is Thy mighty arm, weak and frail am I;
Then, my unchanging Friend, on Thee, my hopes depend,
Till life’s brief day shall end, be Thou ever nigh.

The Tender love the Father has  

(From Psa. 103:13–18, The Psalter, 1912)

 Music: Charles H. Gabriel (1856-1932)

Unchanging is the love of God,
From age to age the same,
Displayed to all who do his will
And reverence his Name.

F W Robertson wrote that...

God is not affected by our mutability; our changes do not alter him. When we are restless, he remains serene and calm; when we are low, selfish, mean, or dispirited, he is still the unalterable I Am. The same yesterday, today, and forever, in whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. What God is in himself, not what we may chance to feel him in this or that moment to be, that is our hope.

God may change our circumstances, but our circumstances never change God.--John Blanchard

The immutability of God's holy character is itself the absolute and the final court of morality. --Os Guinness

The unchangeableness of the divine purposes is a necessary consequence of the unchangeableness of the divine nature.--Johann Keil

God is the most obligated being that there is. He is obligated by his own nature. He is infinite in his wisdom; therefore he can never do anything that is unwise. He is infinite in his justice; therefore he can never do anything that is unjust. He is infinite in his goodness; therefore he can never do anything that is not good. He is infinite in his truth; therefore it is impossible that he should lie.--J. Gresham Machen

God cannot change for the better, for He is perfect; and being perfect, He cannot change for the worse--A. W. Pink

We have an unchanging Gospel, which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay; but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah. --C. H. Spurgeon

Standing, as it were, at the world's end, at the grave's mouth, and at hell's door, the cross of Jesus reveals love to the utmost end, and is a grand display of the immutability and invincibility of the affection of the heart of Jesus. -- C H Spurgeon

Below is the account of a place I visited this when I was a boy:  Reversing Falls Rapids:

"An unusual phenomenon can be seen at the Bay of Fundy on the eastern coast of Canada. Near the mouth of the St. John River, where it flows into the bay, are the Reversing Falls Rapids. They are created by the rise and fall of the extreme tides in the Bay of Fundy, and the flow of water from the St. John River.

At low tide the river flows in thundering rapids out to the sea. But at high tide that great current is changed and water surges upstream, reversing the flow of the falls. In the period of time when the tide is slack and the river and bay are at equal levels, that mighty torrent appears as calm as a mill pond.

How like human nature are those changing tides. Our emotions and actions vary with the day—and sometimes by the hour. But this is not so with our immutable God, who has revealed Himself in His Son Jesus Christ. His truth, grace, mercy, and love for us remain constant".—P R. Van Gorder

 IF YOU WILL ONLY LET GOD GUIDE YOU

by Georg Neumark

If you will only let God guide you,
And hope in Him through all your ways,
Whatever comes, He’ll stand beside you,
To bear you through the evil days;
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the Rock that cannot move.

Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand

By Franklin L. Eiland

  

Time is filled with swift transition;
Naught on earth unmoved can stand.
Build your hope on things eternal,
Hold to God's unchanging hand.

CHORUS:
Hold to His hand, God's unchanging hand.
Hold to His hand, God's unchanging hand.
Build your hope on things eternal,
Hold to God's unchanging hand.

Trust in Him who will not leave you,
Whatsoever years may bring.
If by earthly friends forsaken,
Still more closely to Him cling.

Trust not in this world's vain riches
That so rapidly decay.
Seek to gain the Heavenly treasure
That will never pass away.

Hold to God's Unchanging Hand - Lindell Cooley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvBvtIKZB60

God is Near

God is Immanent

Immanence:  literal meaning - “to be within” or “near” in relation to God’s creation. Immanence is closely related to God’s omnipresence, in that God is always present within the universe, though distinct from it. God is ‘within’ the universe in that God is its sustaining cause. 

Yesterday we dealt with transcendence:  God is sovereign, supreme, all powerful, completely outside of us.  Today we deal with what would appear to be the opposite: God is immanent:  close to us; knows all about us—about our heart and our mind; He is present, gracious, sustaining.

C.S. Lewis said, “God is both further from us, and nearer to us, than any other being.”

How can God be both not known by us – far beyond us and also immanent?  

Here is what the Bible says:

For this is what the high and lofty One says—
   he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
   but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
   and to revive the heart of the contrite.. (Isaiah 57:15)

The prophet Jeremiah declared the Word of the Lord “‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the LORD, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD” (Jer. 23:23-24)  

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’  (Acts 17:27-28) 

“When you hide your face,
   they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
   they die and return to the dust.
³⁰ When you send your Spirit,
   they are created,
   and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:29-30)

Extreme immanence is pantheism, the belief that God is everywhere.

Extreme transcendence is deism, the belief that God is impersonal.

The incarnation is the most dramatic example of God’s immanence.

Transcendence and immanence meet.in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Colossians 2:9 " For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." God’s fullness (transcendence) dwells in Christ, nevertheless I find myself “complete” in Him (immanence).

Isaiah 7:14 gives us the name “Immanuel.”  Which means “God with us.”   Matthew 1:23 ““The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” —which means, “God with us.”  As one person said:  “So the greatest declaration of God’s transcendence and immanence is the Incarnation; the Most High, became the Most Nigh.”

⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
 ⁶ Who, being in very natureGod,
   did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷ but made himself nothing,
   taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to death—
      even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

"He (Jesus) is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17)

John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

I like the rendition from The Message of the same passage:

“The Word became flesh and blood,
      and moved into the neighborhood.
   We saw the glory with our own eyes,
      the one-of-a-kind glory,
      like Father, like Son,
   Generous inside and out,
      true from start to finish.”  (John 1:14) (emphasis added)

Here is an excellent portion from The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer:

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?-Psa. 139:7

In all Christian teaching certain basic truths are found, hidden at times, and rather assumed than asserted, but necessary to all truth as the primary colors are found in and necessary to the finished painting. Such a truth is the divine immanence.

God dwells in His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works. This is boldly taught by prophet and apostle and is accepted by Christian theology generally. That is, it appears in the books, but for some reason it has not sunk into the average Christian's heart so as to become a part of his believing self. Christian teachers shy away from its full implications, and, if they mention it at all, mute it down till it has little meaning. I would guess the reason for this to be the fear of being charged with pantheism; but the doctrine of the divine Presence is definitely not pantheism.

Pantheism's error is too palpable to deceive anyone. It is that God is the sum of all created things. Nature and God are one, so that whoever touches a leaf or a stone touches God. That is of course to degrade the glory of the incorruptible Deity and, in an effort to make all things divine, banish all divinity from the world entirely.

The truth is that while God dwells in His world He is separated from it by a gulf forever impassable. However closely He may be identified with the work of His hands they are and must eternally be other than He, and He is and must be antecedent to and independent of them. He is transcendent above all His works even while He is immanent within them.

What now does the divine immanence mean in direct Christian experience? It means simply that God is here. Wherever we are, God is here. There is no place, there can be no place, where He is not. Ten million intelligences standing at as many points in space and separated by incomprehensible distances can each one say with equal truth, God is here. No point is nearer to God than any other point. It is exactly as near to God from any, place as it is from any other place. No one is in mere distance any further from or any nearer to God than any other person is.

These are truths believed by every instructed Christian. It remains for us to think on them and pray over them until they begin to glow within us.

"In the beginning God." Not matter, for matter is not self-causing. It requires an antecedent cause, and God is that Cause. Not law, for law is but a name for the course which all creation follows. That course had to be planned, and the Planner is God. Not mind, for mind also is a created thing and must have a Creator back of it. In the beginning God, the uncaused Cause of matter, mind and law. There we must begin.

Adam sinned and, in his panic, frantically tried to do the impossible: he tried to hide from the Presence of God. David also must have had wild thoughts of trying to escape from the Presence, for he wrote, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" Then he proceeded through one of his most beautiful psalms to celebrate the glory of the divine immanence. "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." And he knew that God's being and God's seeing are the same, that the seeing Presence had been with him even before he was born, watching the mystery of unfolding life. Solomon exclaimed, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee: how much less this house which I have builded." Paul assured the Athenians that "God is not far from any one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being."

If God is present at every point in space, if we cannot go where He is not, cannot even conceive of a place where He is not, why then has not that Presence become the one universally celebrated fact of the world? The patriarch Jacob, "in the waste howling wilderness," gave the answer to that question. He saw a vision of God and cried out in wonder, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not." Jacob had never been for one small division of a moment outside the circle of that all-pervading Presence. But he knew it not. That was his trouble, and it is ours. Men do not know that God is here. What a difference it would make if they knew.

The Presence and the manifestation of the Presence are not the same. There can be the one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His Presence. On our part there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work it is to show us the Father and the Son. If we co-operate with Him in loving obedience God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face.

Always, everywhere God is,present, and always He seeks to discover Himself. To each one he would reveal not only that He is, but what He is as well. He did not have to be persuaded to discover Himself to Moses. "And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord." He not only made a verbal proclamation of His nature but He revealed His very Self to Moses so that the skin of Moses' face shone with the supernatural light. It will be a great moment for some of us when we begin to believe that God's promise of self-revelation is literally true: that He promised much, but promised no more than He intends to fulfill.

Our pursuit of God is successful just because He is forever seeking to manifest Himself to us. The revelation of God to any man is not God coming from a distance upon a time to pay a brief and momentous visit to the man's soul. Thus to think of it is to misunderstand it all. The approach of God to the soul or of the soul to God is not to be thought of in spatial terms at all. There is no idea of physical distance involved in the concept. It is not a matter of miles but of experience.

To speak of being near to or far from God is to use language in a sense always understood when applied to our ordinary human relationships. A man may say, "I feel that my son is coming nearer to me as he gets older," and yet that son has lived by his father's side since he was born and has never been away from home more than a day or so in his entire life. What then can the father mean? Obviously he is speaking of experience. He means that the boy is coming to know him more intimately and with deeper understanding, that the barriers of thought and feeling between the two are disappearing, that father and son are becoming more closely united in mind and heart.

So when we sing, "Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord," we are not thinking of the nearness of place, but of the nearness of relationship. It is for increasing degrees of awareness that we pray, for a more perfect consciousness of the divine Presence. We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.”

 
http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/tozer/5f00.0888/5f00.0888.05.htm

God is Near by The Rend Collective Experiment 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPw_4a_QtT4