Oh, the Wonder of Being Nigh!

Oh, The Wonder of Being Nigh!

Ah, beloved friends, cast your mind back for a moment, and reflect on that desolate state of spiritual dispersion. Was it not a profound homelessness, a moral sickness that chained us to darkness and left us adrift in a chaotic world? We were, every one of us, "far off" – estranged from our Creator, without hope, without true belonging, wandering like lost sheep in a spiritual wilderness, imprisoned by our own sin and buffeted by life's relentless storms. What a poignant picture of a soul yearning for a port that it knew not existed!

But praise be to His glorious name! God, in His infinite, tender mercy, would not leave us to our desolate plight. No, like the Kinsman-Redeemer of old, He stretched forth His mighty hand, initiating a divine gathering. From the east and the west, from the north and the south, He has been working, ever working, to retrieve, unify, and restore! This ancient call to thank Him for His wondrous works found its ultimate, breathtaking fulfillment in Christ Jesus.

Oh, the glorious "but now"! We, who were once without Messiah, outside of His covenant, and living as spiritual atheists in the world, have been brought near. Not by our own paltry strivings, not by our flimsy resolutions, but by the precious, life-giving blood of Christ! His sacrifice shattered every barrier, dissolved every hostility, and paid the ransom for our souls, pulling us from the chaos of spiritual death into His vibrant presence.

Now, we are no longer strangers or aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people, members of His very own household! We are living stones, built into a holy temple where God Himself dwells by His Spirit, granted intimate access to the Father. We, the Church, are His masterpiece, His "workmanship," a living, breathing testimony to His boundless wisdom. Let us, therefore, with every fiber of our being, "say so!" Let our lives become a perpetual anthem of praise, continually giving thanks for the indescribable gift of being brought near by His blood. Never forget, dear soul, where His love has placed you!

(Source: A modern reflection adopted from the style of Charles Spurgeon)