He is Near and He Fulfills

What a comfort it is that the Bible is clear with our weary, hurting hearts. The Lord is near.

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them” (Psalm 145:18–19).

Photo by Srideep Gurung on Unsplash

Few things hurt worse or leave us feeling emptier than the fear that God is far from us–ignoring, uncaring, unreal–and the ache of unfulfilled yearnings, no matter how often we have pled and prayed. We are tempted to become bitter toward God. We wonder what there is to live for. We even begin to replace God in our affections and our worship with substitutes, anything that will make us feel better in the moment.

So what a comfort it is that the Bible is clear with our weary, hurting hearts. The Lord is near. He fulfills. He hears. Our perception of God’s closeness and inactivity is not what is most true, although it feels so real. What is true is that God is always near when we call on him. And God always fulfills the desire of those who fear him.

You might well say, “That’s all good and fine, and I believe God is near and hears, but my heart still yearns for things I do not have.” Consider Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” What is it you are yearning for? Is it something you have put above God? He is our greatest good, our only true fulfillment. And since he is near, and since he hears our cries and prayers, he is available and ready to fulfill the deepest longings of our hearts. Remember, we have no greater delight than closeness to our Heavenly Father. So delight yourself in him, and he will fulfill you.

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ON THE HORIZON

• Launching Good News at Rock Bottom - This upcoming Wednesday night, we have the joy of celebrating the release of Good News at Rock Bottom, a new book from our founding pastor, Ray Ortlund. Born out of last year’s Wednesday night teaching, this book is a reminder that Jesus meets us in the depths of our need. Join us in Sadler at 6:30 PM as Ray shares more about the heart behind the book, followed by a time for Q&A. We hope you’ll come and be encouraged by the good news of Christ’s presence with us—even at rock bottom.