Again and again, the Psalms highlight the truth that the Sovereign Lord, who created and sustains the universe, also reveals Himself as a personal God who initiates and sustains a relationship with His people.
God is close to His people and to His creation, both on heaven and on earth (Ps. 73:23, 25). Though He “has established His throne in heaven” (Psalm 103:19, NKJV) and “rides on the clouds” (Psalm 68:4, NKJV), He also is “near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18, NKJV). The Psalms unswervingly uphold thetruth that the Lord is the living God, who acts on behalf of those who call upon Him (Psalm 55:16–22). The Psalms are meaningful precisely because they are prompted by, and are addressed to, the living God, who hears and answers prayers.
We should remember that the proper response to the Lord’s nearness consists in a life of faith in Him and of obedience to His commandments. Nothing short of this faith and obedience will be acceptable to Him, as the history of Israel often revealed.
Thought question: How, though, do we deal with the times when calamity strikes, and we can’t seem to see the Lord’s protection? Why do these traumas not mean that the Lord is not there with us?