A young woman sat in her car outside a coffee shop, hands shaking. For three months, she had been praying—desperate, honest prayers—but heard nothing. No answer. No peace. No sign of anyone listening. She whispered to the empty car: "God, are You even there?"
This question is one many of us have asked at some point. However, Paul provides a clear answer: “God is not far from each one of us.” Not sometimes. Not for a lucky few. God is not far from you.
Today, I want to show you something essential: God's nearness is not a new concept. It is not a promise that began with Jesus. From the very start, God has been demonstrating that He cannot be distant from us. As we explore this in our series on what God cannot do, we will see the God who is always close.
When Scripture says “God is love,” it means love is part of His very essence. It is foundational and all-encompassing. God cannot be unholy because holiness is His nature, just as He cannot be unloving because love is His nature. You cannot separate God from love any more than you can separate the sun from light. Light is what the sun is; it does not come and go.
As we consider this further, 1 John 4:7-8 reminds us: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
Notice the connection: to know God is to know love. Being separated from love is being separated from God. They are inseparable.
That’s why God’s love is not fragile. It does not depend on our performance or vanish when we fail. His love is not a reward earned or a privilege lost. It is the bedrock of who He is. While we are discussing love, remember: God desires closeness, not distance; it is we who often walk away.
Let me provide some examples from Scripture that illustrate this beautifully. In Genesis 2, after creating all things, we read: “The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food.”
For Adam, God created abundance, not scarcity. He said: “Here. This is for you. Everything you need. Everything you could desire. I made this because I love you.” However, when Adam and Eve sinned, they chose disobedience, breaking the one command. What did God do? He came looking for them.
“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?'”
God already knew where they were, but He came near and called out. He did not punish them in silence or withdraw His presence. He pursued them because that is what love does—it seeks, it calls, and it refuses to let go. Even in their shame, God loved them enough to show up.
Next, in 1 Kings, we see Elijah after an intense encounter with God. He defeated the prophets of Baal, but when threatened by Queen Jezebel, he fled into the wilderness, overwhelmed and asking God to let him die.
“But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, saying, 'It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.' He lay down and slept under a juniper tree.”
Elijah was broken and exhausted. What did God do? He sent an angel to touch him gently and said: “Arise, eat.” God did not lecture Elijah; He fed him, let him rest, and showed him: I see you. I know you are broken. I am with you. This is the love of God, meeting us in our despair without demanding we clean ourselves up first. It says: Eat. Rest. You are not alone.
The ultimate demonstration of God’s love is this: He did not stay in heaven. John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
God gave—not a rule, a law, or a distant command. He gave Himself in flesh. Jesus walked among us, touching lepers when no one else would, dining with tax collectors and sinners, weeping at the tomb of His friend, and offering grace to the woman caught in adultery. He said, “I do not condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Then, He went to the cross, entering our pain and taking our sin. He died so we would know, without doubt, that God's love is not theoretical; it is sacrificial, willing to suffer for us.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
This love was shown while we were still sinners, while we were running from Him and broken. God loved us enough to die.
Consider a woman named Jennifer. She grew up believing God's love was something to be earned. After battling depression and a suicide attempt, she felt certain God had abandoned her. A chaplain shared with her: “God loves you right now, in this brokenness. His love will not change.” For the first time, Jennifer realized she did not have to earn what was already hers. Today, she is a counselor, sharing that same truth with others.
God cannot be distant. He has designed us for closeness. Yet free will allows us to choose otherwise. If you find yourself running from God, I urge you to stop! Give God a chance. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Remember, in Matthew 28, amidst the Great Commission, Jesus promises: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
There is nothing that can separate us from God’s love, including distance. Embrace His nearness today.
You have heard it this morning: God cannot be distant. From the Garden to the cross, from Elijah in the wilderness to you in this moment, God has proven that He draws near. But this truth demands a response from you.
So I ask you: Will you turn and receive the God who is already reaching toward you?
Are you searching in the dark, grasping for meaning, chasing empty substitutes, reaching for something that cannot satisfy—stop. The God you are looking for is looking for you. He is not hiding. He is not far away. Its Christ that left the 99 to seek out the 1, you and me!
This week, open Scripture and read one of these passages: Psalm 145:18, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Matthew 28:20 & Philippians 4:5-7. Let those words settle into your heart. God is near. Seek Him with your whole heart, and you will find Him. Deuteronomy 4:29 — "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul."
Go from here with this assurance: God cannot be distant. He has drawn near in Christ. He remains near through His Spirit. The question is not whether He is near—the question is whether you will turn and find Him.