Is God Far Away From You?

One saying a few years back was, "If you are not as close to God as you once were, guess who moved." The answer is obvious, but some might ask, "Doesn't God stay close to everyone?" And the answer is, "No." Proverbs 15:29 teaches: "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." The same person might respond by saying, "Okay. Well, that makes sense. After all, if one chooses to practice wickedness, he would be moving away from God and His commandments." But there is more to it than that. We ought to ask the question, "Does this verse imply that God does not hear the prayer of the wicked?" We do not need to decide; other verses answer that question. "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil…" (Ps. 34:15-16a).

More? "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight" (Pr. 15:8). "One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination" (Pr. 28:9). People ask: "Why are the wicked praying and offering sacrifices to God?" One reason could be for appearance's sake. They look like they believe in God, and they are engaging in worship; so maybe God accepts them. He does not. A second reason involves the way many people actually think: If they do some religious acts, it may offset the evil they are engaged in. It will not.

A number of years ago, a newspaper story mentioned that a popular recording artist was donating the proceeds of his concert to benefit a charity in the area. He had composed several songs promoting casual sex (and probably sang them during the concert). The idea of his doing such a benevolent act puzzled your congenial editor. The article did not say if the charity accepted his money. Chances are they did. Maybe giving such a large donation to a needy organization only shows that a person does not need to be totally evil to be separated from God. They can still possess some admiral traits and sincere qualities.

But many may think that good deeds atone for the bad that they do. They do not. One other idea is that people—even wicked people—like to think of themselves as basically good human beings. Oh, sure, they may violate God's laws here and there, but surely He understands the human weakness that leads them to behave that way. Just about everyone likes to imagine themselves as acceptable to God regardless of their actions. But the only way to truly be in fellowship with Him is to repent of wrongdoing and practice righteousness, which starts with obeying the gospel (Acts 2:38; 1 Cor. 15:3-4)—and continues by walking in the light (1 John 1:7-9). The Heavenly Father draws those close to Him who love Him and keep His commandments (John 14:15; 2 John 6). No other approach works.