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

When I was a kid and first heard about God I thought he was this big, scary person that was really far away. I wasn’t sure that I had enough string to attach between the two tin cans to reach him. I guess it was a Greyhound bus trip to Napa, California that made me believe that if my grandparents were over 3,000 miles away then just how far could God be from me if he lived in heaven? How far is heaven? Hello? Is there anybody out there? I’m alone and on the other end of this tin can. God? Are you there? Are you real? Can you hear me?

The sun is 92 million miles away from Earth. That’s a long bus trip! It is the center of the universe and everything revolves around it and as of now Earth is the only planet that has documented lifeforms. Now before you start thinking I’m going to go all X-Files on you, this makes sense to me given that the Lord created the heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1). He has a special relationship with Earth but not because of the planet but because of the people. WE are the only living things that God created in his image. He cares for us. He hears us. He is always near to us.

The sun is 92 millions miles away from Earth…

But,

In the midst of a cool, trickling stream in Maine the suns rays peek through the trees adding light into the darkness of the forest.

In the bedroom of a New York City apartment the sun squeezes its way through the cracks of the window shades just to touch the eyes of a nurse who just finished a double just to wake up and do it all over again.

In the bluegrass fields of Kentucky children are kept warm on a cool, crisp autumn day.

On a baseball field in Iowa the sun rises and sets on a Field of Dreams.

In the loft of a barn in Nebraska the sun dances through the worn out, story-filled boards to cast a light on the afternoon chores.

In the Nevada desert the sun descends down upon the desert floor and surrounding hills like a painter with a blank canvass.

On the beaches in California the sun shows off with a rock star entrance and a majestic exit.

On Sunday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend this year the Lord led me to a little diner in New Market, Virginia aptly called The Southern Kitchen. Little did I know that the Son would shine upon me while taking in a root beer float. As I was finishing my dinner an older couple were seated in the booth next to me. The seat that I was in was not the seat that I had requested but it’s where they sat me…and for good reason. Russ and Pam are from Maine and they were traveling from a getaway in Ashville, NC on their way back to Maine. I overheard them ordering and I leaned over in my southern charm and applauded them on their choices.

The conversation began with the usual questions strangers would ask one another. When they stated that they were traveling from Ashville my ears perked. Why? Well, I was waiting to hear from the Billy Graham Training Center in Ashville as to whether or not I would be getting the last room available for the Pastor Jim Cymbala conference the following week (I did and that’s another story). Russ and Pam are Christians like me. They pulled off to this little diner to be the sun that I needed that day. God embraced me and Russ, Pam and I are now friends.

The physical sun may be 92 million miles away but the presence of God is…

92 Million Miles Close…