Lord You're near to those who are discouraged
You save those who have lost all hope
You've taken my sorrow and surrounded me with joy
You're here with me, Your touch gives me life
To You, oh Lord,
Must the glory be given [repeat 4x]
Lord, You're near, I feel secure, nothing can take me
I know Your love will be with me for all time
Oh Lord You know what I long for
You're all I want in this life, don't leave me
Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him,
Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him
Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him,
Praise Him, praise Him
I look in the eyes of broken people every day. Financially broken, physically broken, socially broken, relationally broken, spiritually broken...we all carry a degree of brokenness, and usually much greater than we're willing to admit. And rightfully so. Just because we don't unload our problems on every person who walks through our door, doesn't mean we're hypocrites! There's definitely a line out to be drawn between being authentic and being inappropriate.
That said, there's plenty of brokenness in our path most everyday. And God is near. God is near the discouraged. He brings hope and healing and joy. And those are just words until you've felt suffocating despair, crippling illness or devastating loss.
It's stunning to me that God would come here! That he'd come here as a helpless baby, into a world presenting more danger than rush hour traffic to a runaway stroller. And his reputation was not at risk, it was a guaranteed loss.
My favorite name for God is Emmanuel, meaning God with us. When I was young I liked it because it started with an E, like Evan. It has the same feeling today but for different reasons. God is the near one. And Christmas means that the creator of the universe has broken in and shown up! He's near.
He's near when you're alone. He's near when you're bankrupt, or homeless. He's near when you have everything, but you have no fulfillment. And he surprises us with good things.
To you, oh Lord, must the glory be given!
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