He's Closer than You Think

Posted by: Amanda Bridle | Monday, September 30th, 2024 ( 8:00am)

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. — Psalm 145:18 NIV

As the tears came faster, I slowed my pace and lifted my face to the gray sky. “Why is this happening?” I choked out. I was alone on a run, giving myself a reprieve from a busy house with three young children. A break from the daily distractions gave me space to be honest with myself about how I was feeling. I was scared, confused, and desperate.

A few months earlier our household was bustling as we prepared for vacation. We were simultaneously getting breakfast on the table and loading the minivan. Our oldest daughter, who was seven at the time, was acting strangely. She was saying things that didn’t make sense to us, almost as if she was talking in her sleep. My husband carried her outside, her long legs dangling, thinking she needed to fully wake up. Moments later, he pushed back through the door with wide eyes. Her head was tipped back, and her limbs were loose and trembling.

Confused by what I was seeing, I struggled to compute. I asked aloud “It looks like a seizure. Should I call 911? I’m calling 911.”

This began one of the most difficult and confusing seasons of our lives. I wish I could say the reassurances of the ER doctors and neurologists that “sometimes these things happen” was the end of the story. If that had been her only seizure that would have been true, but instead the next months were filled with more questions than answers.

There were more seizures and more neurology appointments and more brain scans. Over and over nothing was found to explain the seizures. I can remember sending mass emails to friends, family members, and church members after every seizure and before every test, desperate for prayers and desperate for answers.

Despite the looming unknowns and the fearful anticipation of the next seizure or the next set of test results, I can say this period of my life was one of the ones where I felt closest to God. As the psalmist so aptly notes above, the Lord is indeed near to all who call on him. We only have to remember to do the calling.

So if you find yourself in a bit of a spiritual dry place where the Lord feels far away, take some time (even just 15 minutes!) to call on Him. You might head outside alone on a walk or run where you can voice your prayers aloud, like I found myself doing in that hard season. Lately I’ve favored using a prayer journal where I can scribble out everything that’s on my heart. It’s another way I call on God and it does me good to empty it all onto the page. During difficult seasons, I am drawn to reading the Psalms. I’ll often find a line that can become my own prayer. When you struggle to put words to your emotions, turn to the Bible and pray back the words that are waiting for you there. A final way you can call on the Lord when you are hurting is to praise. I know, I know, in times of confusion it might not be your first instinct to praise but I promise it will do your soul good! Consider downloading the WCSG app so you have access to praise music wherever you are.

Remember, He’s already here with you and He’s waiting to hear from you.