Sometimes when we pray, we sense the presence of God in the room with us. Other times God seems so very far away. Somebody quipped, “If God seems far away from you, guess who moved!” But I don’t think that is necessarily true. That would be tantamount to asserting that if you can’t “feel” God’s presence, then He must not be there.

Feelings are something that follow faith, not precede it. I like the familiar illustration of a train, where Facts are the engine, Faith is the railcar attached to the engine, and behind it Feelings follow. Facts, then Faith, then Feelings.

Moses declared that God is always near us when we pray. He wrote these words so that we don’t have to be in doubt: “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7).

Just because we live in a universe of enormous size, don’t be tricked into thinking God is a long way from where you are when you pray. Don’t believe it for a moment. Our God is big enough to be everywhere at the same time.

When David tried to think of a place where God is not, he gave up, saying,
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)

So, when you pray, remember that God is listening. Moses said, “the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him.” He’s paying attention to every word.