Scripture: "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth."—Ps. cxlv. 18.
You long to experience continually the nearness of God. Here is the secret: Pray, pray without ceasing. Then you will have the assurance: "The Lord is nigh unto all who call upon Him." Prayer has a wonderful power of helping us to draw near to God, and keeping us in His presence. God is everywhere, and as the Almighty One is ever ready and able to grant us unbroken fellowship with Him.
Would you know the secret of always abiding in a state of prayerfulness ? The answer is clear. Realize first that God is near you, and within you, then you will feel how natural it is to talk with Him each moment about your needs and desires. This is the secret of the prayerful life, of which Paul writes: "Night and day praying exceedingly" (1 Thess. iii. 10). It is only when you live a life apart from God that you say: "I must take time, I must take trouble first of all to find God before I can pray." But to the true Christian, life is a constant abiding with the Father. "In Thy Name do they rejoice all the day" (Ps. Ixxxix. 16). The intercourse between the Father and His child should be contin¬uous. Even so prayer may become a daily life activity, like breath¬ing or sleeping, instead of something that is brought into use only once a day. The principle of complete dependence on the unseen God, and the holy habit of claiming His presence with us each moment of the day—this is the secret of a life of true godliness.
God always near, so that you may call upon Him at all times. According to the word of St. Paul, you will be "anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds." Remember these two things: A God always near, with His infinite and abundant grace; and His child in utter weakness, calling upon One who will surely hear and answer.
