Close at Hand

 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD,
“And not a God afar off?
²⁴Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the LORD;
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23-24

When you picture a lawman from the old west there is only one place to imagine that he would have his gun.  Right on his hip, in its holster.  Police officers today keep their weapons in the same place…why is that?  It is not because it is the most comfortable place…it is because it keeps their protection right next to their hand.  The Lord here describes himself as ‘near at hand’…and the Hebrew Poetry Pattern gives us the repetition that God is “not afar off”.  What does God want us to know about himself?  He is near, and present with us.  There is no place where we can escape his gaze, and no possibility that we could ever be outside of his knowledge and care.  This is as true in the moments when we may wish to hide our rebellion from Him as it is during the moments when we feel most alone.  When you cry out to the Lord, He is always near at hand.