I spend many a Sunday alone. Most of that, if not all, is by my own design and preference for recuperation and preparation prior to the week ahead. Now that I attend a church that meets on Saturday nights, my Sundays have become rife with possibilities. And YET my mood those days tends towards sadness, wishing I could lounge around (i.e. no obligation or anything resembling a plan) with another; ergo many tears are shed and Mondays quickly have become one of my favorite days of the week because they mean structure. That rather common desire for intimacy that God instilled in His creation must come under the knowledge that God is perfect and all His ways are right. Shall I, the creature, ignore, begrudge, or disdain this aspect of His design? If I were creating Mankind, and I knew which ones would remain single throughout their time on earth, I can tell you I would be tempted to eliminate that particular feature in those individuals. I mean, it would seem logical, and it might even show how much I love them. But my Wise God, whose ways and thoughts are better and higher than mine (HALLELUJAH!), has made intimacy a default in humanity. And certainly, we know from Genesis 2 that this mode was meant to be experienced with others He has created. Experienced yes, FULFILLED? SATISFIED? N to the O. There is only One who is able to do that. For He is: 2. NEAR. He NEVER leaves. I can't shake Him or hide from Him. Rather it is His nearness that KEEPS ME FROM BEING SHAKEN! (Psalm 16:8) Wherever I go, there He is (Psalm 139: 7-11). He goes behind me, before me, and for crying out loud, His very Name is Emmanuel so He is definitely going WITH me (Matthew 1:23). He is consistently present. He WANTS to be there. He is near enough that when I call, He hears (Psalm 145:18). My tears or brokenness do not scare Him off rather such a heart appears to draw Him even closer (Psalm 34:18, Jeremiah 23:23*). He commands us to draw near to him and He will draw near to us (James 4:8). He's the One who makes the comparison of His relationship with his people to marriage all throughout Scripture, and He's the One who gave His Holy Spirit so that we would NEVER be separated (John 16:7). He's the One who says that eternal pleasure supersedes that which this world offers, and this comes from the Voice of Truth (1 John 2:16-17). If what I am looking for is someone to be close to, then it is JESUS CHRIST who I long for since He planted that desire in me in the first place and since He is the only One who can get that job done. Oh, may He satisfy my soul this day with His lovingkindness and with the delight of His nearness. "Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart, Draw me, my Savior, so precious Thou art; Fold me, O fold me close to Thy breast, Shelter me safe in that 'Haven of Rest,' Shelter me safe in that 'Haven of Rest.'" ~Leila N. Morris, "Nearer, Still Nearer"
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