ALTHOUGH HE MAY SEEM FAR AWAY, THERE'S ALWAYS A PLAN.

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From: "The Berean" <berean@cgg.org>
Date: Jul 11, 2012 1:14 AM
Subject: Daily Verse and Comment: Psalm 145:18
To: <billstaceytaylor0591@gmail.com>

Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser.     About The Berean | Archives | Random Berean | Subscriptions             Printer version   Psalm 145:18 (18) The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. King James Version   Change Bible versions The question is, "How near?" This question has to be asked because many times we feel that God has gone way off somewhere. But how near is He? We have to ask this because the Bible describes Him as a God who is both far and near; He is both at the same time. He is far in recognition of His sovereignty and of His position in relation to the rest of the creation. He is far above us in that regard. He is over all and directs and controls everything, always with His overall purpose in mind. If we desire to have a good relationship with God, we will have to take this last factor into consideration, because it affects our lives. He does everthing with His overall purpose in mind. There are occasions when He may be "unable" to act in our behalf on one of our requests of Him, because other people's situations whose lives touch on ours must be resolved first. A clear example of this is the book of Job. Job was totally unaware of what was being worked out through, around, and about him. Even Satan was having something proved to him by God, because He challenged him. In the vernacular of today, God said to the Devil, "Okay, Satan. See if you can break Job. I challenge you to see if you can break him." Satan could not break Job. The man stood his ground, even though he got battered mightily in the process, not really understanding what was happening. He undoubtingly appealled to God, but He could not answer because other things were being worked out through, around, and about in Job, of which he was totally unaware. Job was not privy to the conversation between God and Satan, nor to the fact that God was putting him through this in order that a book be written of his experiences, which could not be written until the episode had resolved. So Job had to go through a great deal of discomfort, pain, and emotional anguish while the whole situation played out. For a while, God was a God from afar. Now that we have more understanding, and the Bible is complete, we realize that He was also a God who was near because He strengthened Job so that he could resist the temptations of the most powerful being to tempt mankind. Job stood up just fine. Because this book has been written, and because Job endured this, we now have a clear picture why, at times, bad things happen to good people. We can also see that this book of Job shows that God has faith in us too. It does not work just one way. God was working from afar, with His overall picture in mind for mankind, and God was also working nearby. John W. Ritenbaugh Excerpted from: The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part 6) Listen: Related Topics: Building Relationship with God Enduring Temptation Enduring Trials and Tests God's Involvement God's Omnipotence God's Omnipresence God's Plan God's Purpose God's Sovereignty Job Job as 'victim of God's Negligence' Relationship With God Resisting Temptation Satan as God's Instrument Tests and Trials Commentary copyright © 1992-2012 Church of the Great God Please cancel my subscription to The Berean
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