Call Upon Him
Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” It is a fact that God is everywhere present; omnipresent is the theological term. His presence surrounds us no matter where we are. And yet, there is a deeper thought here than that. We can connect this verse with a verse in the New Testament, James 4:8, which says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” There is a sense, then, where the Lord’s presence is more than just surrounding us. When we draw to Him, when we call upon Him, His presence becomes felt, as it were, in a special manner.
First, we see in this verse, that it is possible to have such a relationship with the Lord, an intimacy with Him, which we can foster and develop until His presence becomes more of a conscious thing. It’s not just for a select few; it is for all those who will take the time and use the effort to draw near, to call upon Him. By drawing near, by calling upon Him, we are, as one said, “inviting His influence into our lives.” We want Him, we desire Him to be the focal point of our life. It is more than just a casual acquaintance. Another writer said, concerning this verse, “It teaches us that our proactive engagement in prayer, seeking, and approaching God brings Him closer to us, making our relationship more personal and intimate.”
Second, we see that our calling upon Him must be in truth. One commentator said, “Mere formal prayer is useless, does not lessen the distance between God and man, rather augments it. If we really desire to enjoy the consciousness of his presence, we must call upon him "in truth," i.e. sincerely, with earnest desire and strong confidence.” We are encouraged here to draw near to the Lord with authenticity and genuineness. This includes not only our praying and calling, but our lives as a whole. We must be living the truth, as found in God’s Word. This takes getting into the Bible and learning and studying and meditating on what God has told us.
Mark D. Roberts put it like this - “The more we allow the written Word of God to permeate our minds and hearts, the more we will be able to pray in light of God’s true nature and true will. When we pray in this way, not only will we find that our prayers are answered positively, but we will also sense the presence of God in our lives. God will be “close” to us as we meditate upon truth, growing into a deeper relationship.”
We can thank the Lord for the privilege of being able to call upon Him, to draw near to Him, and know that He will draw near to us. His presence can be real to us today!