Posts filed under: Nearness of God

WHAT FAITH LOOKS LIKE. BIBLICAL NARRATIVES OF TRUSTING GOD, PT. 4: Looking for Strength in All the Right Places (Conclusion)

Now David was deeply troubled because his men talked of stoning him; but he strengthened himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). Therefore, I will gladly boast all the more of my weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9). ______________________________________________________________________________ Last time we met, the conclusion to our introduction was to ask if we are prepared for a...... Read More

How Close?, Part 3: Sinners in the Hands of an Intimate God

When the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior appeared … Titus 3:4 In 1741, Jonathan Edwards – one of my two or three favorite theologians – preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” His words remain one of the preeminent Protestant examples of what I call “Wrath Theology,”...... Read More

How Close?, Part 2: Friendship Is not Optional

No longer do I call you servants, but friends; for everything that I have heard from the Father I will declare to you. John 15:15 How do you do the friend thing? Are you a BFF kind of person, with one or two people who are really close to you? Or do you engage a...... Read More

How Close? God’s Desire for Intimacy with Us

As for me, to be near to God is my happiness. Pss. 73:28 One of the interesting things about watching people relate to each other is what kind of space or distance they maintain while interacting. Sometimes there’s barely a hair’s breadth of separation (as it was among my Italian relatives and Jewish friends). Boundaries...... Read More