“Stay open to the idea of God’s goodness, even when He seems silent. He’s always near, always teaching us how to trust Him. And when the time is right, He’ll punch through the clouds with His healing rays, and we’ll remember afresh that we’re going to be okay.”- Susie Larson
“Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.”- Psalm 138:6 (NKJV)
Susie Larson concludes Chapter 7 of Closer Than Your Next Breath with a look at Psalm 138:6. Specifically, Susie asks, what does it mean that God distances Himself from the proud? Certainly, the Lord draws near and takes great delight in the humble. However, the prideful soul elicits a different reaction.
As a result, Susie turns our attention to the Hebrew word yada, translated as “knows”. Hence, Susie paraphrases that part of the verse this way:
“But those who think more highly of themselves than they ought, those who look down their nose at others, miss out on the privilege of intimately knowing God the way He wants to be known. Their own pride keeps them from seeing themselves in the light of eternity. Their shared perspective keeps them from experiencing and encountering God in a way that could change them.”
Therefore, when we fill ourselves with pride, we may perceive that God’s gone away. But the distant feeling we experience occurs because we’ve moved away from God. Furthermore, God’s power always flows. But we kink the hose when we embrace attitudes that conflict with His character.
Consequently, when our hearts go astray, we wind up getting in our own way. In addition, we may feel the palpable sense of darkness we’ve allowed in our lives. Yet, if that happens, we need only one prayer to restore our relationship with the Father. God never turns His back on us!
Today’s question: What most helps you stay open to the idea of God’s goodness? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The gravity of the circumstances”