The phone rang. The name “Emily Scrivens” flashed on the call display.

I picked up the phone. “Emily!” I squealed.

Nothing. Silence.

“Emily!” I said again. It was clear the connection was lost.

A moment later the phone rang again. “It’s Emily!”

I picked up the phone again. Again the phone disconnected.

That has been the story over the past twelve days. The cellular connection in Ghana, West Africa where Emily has been serving with a medical mission (called GRID) has been incredibly unreliable.

I hate feeling so disconnected from her.

As I disappointedly put my phone down, for the third time, I inadvertently placed my phone on my Bible. And it dawned on me in that moment how sometimes we feel disconnected from God.

I often hear people say, “God feels so distant.” Perhaps you’ve said it too.

If you’ve ever read the Psalms you would read that you are not alone. In Psalm 10:1 the psalmist writes, “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”.

As I reflect on that verse, I wonder if our feeling of being distant from God is more about us than it is about God. As Christians we believe that God is “omnipresent”.

What does that mean you may ask?

Omnipresent means “present everywhere at the same time”. God has been that way for all eternity and will always be.

Not to sound like a Dr. Seuss book, but:

God is here and God is there,

I know that God is everywhere.

God’s in your room, God’s in your car,

God’s very near and never far.

God’s at your work, and where you play.

God is with you every day.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist ;)

So, if God is so close, why does God sometimes seem so distant?

Well, one reason may be that we think that God exists for us, like a genie in a bottle or a cosmic Coke machine. We may believe that God exists to make our life better. We may think that if we earnestly pray and things don’t go the way we want, then God is not there or not listening. We feel disconnected, like silence on the other end of the phone.

The reality is, that God does not exist for us. Rather, we exist for God.

We are created to Glorify God, to Worship God, to make God known, and to bring God honour.

I wonder how our lives would change if we lived knowing and believing that God is Holy, that God is everywhere at all times (omnipresent), and that God LOVES you.

How would that change the way you go about your day today?

My prayer for you today is that you take time to reconnect with God by praising and worshipping God for His presence. Ask God in prayer what God wants from you, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform you.

This Sunday marks the first Sunday of Advent. We are beginning a new sermon series called “We Have Come to Worship.” Join us as we prepare for the birth of the King.

There will be surprises each Sunday of Advent. You will not want to miss a single week.

Come - and bring a friend.