God is Never Far Away
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:1-6
Not too long ago, our family was on a little hike to a waterfall near our town called “Yellow Branch Falls.” It’s a nice, easy family hike where many people bring their young children, because you can swim in a pool at the base of the waterfall.
While we were walking toward the falls, two young twin boys around the age of four came running toward us. “Help! We’re lost! We don’t know where our parents are!” My wife and I were concerned to find their parents as soon as possible. We thought they must be worried sick. Then, just seconds after the twins had run in a panic toward us, their parents appeared right down the trail from them. They were probably 30 feet away the whole time. In fact, they weren’t worried at all, because they were never too far away in the first place!
Perhaps you can identify with Thomas and the disciples of Jesus in the passage above. Just before Jesus died on the cross, He met with His disciples to tell them that He would soon leave them. They were worried sick. Jesus comforted them with the promise that He would never be too far away, and more than that, He would send His Holy Spirit to comfort them. He assured them that unless He went away, unless He died on the cross for their sins (and ours), then they would not be able to be with Him in His home. But He promised them this: He would always be with them. He would never be too far away.
Do you ever feel lost like those little boys at Yellow Branch Falls? Perhaps you feel spiritually lost at times, wondering where God is. Does he know what you’re going through? Does He care? Does he actually hear your cries for help? Well, according to Jesus, you know that you can always find the way to God. Jesus tells us how. He says, “I am the way.” God is never too far away. We can always find Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.