It is Good to Be Near God

By: Austin Savage

Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,  and afterward you will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire  

    besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and

    my portion forever.

For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone

   who is unfaithful to you.

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge,  that I

    may tell of all your works.

Psalm 73:23-28 (ESV)

Have you ever felt like God isn’t “doing” enough in your life? Or have you ever gotten to a place where things start to feel routine, like maybe the Christian life isn’t worth all the effort?

I know I’ve been there.

Whether you’re high on a mountaintop or deep in a valley today, I just want to encourage you to use the time spent in today’s devotional remembering who God is and what He’s done for you.

This passage is from one of my favorite Psalms. If you have time today, I encourage you to read the whole thing. But the author opens up by talking about his deep struggle with how the wicked prosper. And here’s what’s amazing: In his struggle, the thing that keeps him grounded is a recollection of who God is and what God is actively doing in his life.

So today we’re simply going to walk through 3 truths contained in this passage about who God is and what he actively does for us. Let’s get started:

He’s our guide. “You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel…” Every day, our God leads us by His Word and through His Spirit. He never leaves. He never forsakes. He walks with us. And it’s not a rule-based, earn-my-love type of guidance. It’s a personal, hand-taking, Father-like guidance.

And here’s the best part. What’s he guiding us towards? As verse 24 says, He’s guiding us until He receives us to glory! He’ll walk alongside us all the way up to the beautiful moment we see Him face-to-face.

He’s our strength. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” So often we try to muscle the Christian life, don’t we? We convince ourselves that if we just try harder, maybe we won’t screw up next time. We look inwards for the strength to go on.

But there’s only One who can truly be our strength. Our God desires to be your strength today, Whom you can consistently cast your burdens on because He cares deeply for you. (1 Pet. 5:7)

He’s our refuge. “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” A refuge is where we find shelter or protection from danger and difficulty. He is our “ever-present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). He wants you to feel safe in the fact that He never changes.

Our God is the shelter that will never collapse, the roof that will never leak, and the comfort that will never cease.

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Not only did our God love you before you were saved. Not only did our God provide for you the day you started following Him. Our present God is there today. He is your guide today. He’s your strength today. He’s your refuge today. And He loves you immensely today.

It truly is good to be near Him.

Tip for Today: As God is present in your life, how can you be present for those in your community? Take the time today to encourage 3 people. Whether it’s a text message, a short note, or a quick stop by their office, practice the ministry of presence by showing that you care and actually naming the things you value in each of their lives.

Austin Savage is the Managing Director at 95Network, an organization that recently supported Codell Community Church. He and his wife currently reside near Peoria, IL. You can follow along with the ministry of 95Network at fb.com/95network --