Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord, He is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV
Remember your parents' admonition--"Stay close to me now. Don't wander off." No matter what was going on, if we were out with the folks, we fully understood that they wanted us near at hand, both for our safety and their sanity. They didn't want us to be out of sight, or if we were out of sight, they wanted us within hearing range for when they called. And they often did. Calling our name out the front door, or in a crowded department store. I have one friend whose mother would walk down a deserted aisle and whistle shrilly until her children came running. Our parents wanted us close, and it was for our own good whether we realized it or not.
God wants us close too. I don't know why I can't get the Edenic imagery out of my mind, but when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden, He came every day in the cool of the day to walk with them and talk with them. He wanted them close, within calling distance. And every day they were there to meet Him, until the day when the broke the one rule He'd established for them. On the day they ate the forbidden fruit, they hid in a grove of fig trees and cowered with leaves clutched over their nakedness. When the LORD arrived and did not immediately find them (undoubtedly the all-knowing already knew what had happened and where they were), He called to them by name, "Adam! Where are you?"
Does God ever have to call your name because you've wandered too far from His presence? Does He ever have to step out on the front porch of your relationship and holler loudly for you to return home? Like Adam and Eve, we occasionally tend toward wanderlust, following the fancies of this world or our own imaginations after things we think will satisfy. But God still wants us in His presence where He can see us and look out for us, where we can hear His voice and come when He calls. And like Adam and Eve, sometimes He finds us hiding in the tattered remains of our transgressions, hoping He won't know or won't see. Even then, He calls us out and says, "Where are you?" He still wants to be with us, and He wants us to be with Him.
So instead of waiting for Him to call because we have taken a step too far, let us follow the advice of the Psalmist and come into the presence of God singing His praises and giving Him thanks, even if we also have to add our repentance to it. Throughout the Bible, the principle is clear: if we will draw near to God, God will also draw near to us. Because that is where He wants to be.
Today, I'm thankful for the favor God gives us with others, and for making a way where there seems to be no way.
I'm thankful for the provision of God who continues to meet all of my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.
I'm thankful for the care and concern for me expressed by others because of their love for me.
What are you thankful for today?
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