The Tides of Life

I have been using the book Enjoy the Silence for my quiet times of late, following on from a more contemplative approach introduced to me at the Youth Ministry Summer School I attended this summer (see previous post here).  My meditation this morning took me to Jeremiah 23:16-24, and focused on verse 23: “Am I only a God nearby, and not a God far away”.  It got me thinking about the tides of life, and how at times we can feel God’s presence close with us, and at other times He may be distant and separated.  The thing is though that God is constant, like the waves of the ocean, and it’s me who moves from being close to him or far away.  As I allow selfish desires and sins of the flesh to creep into my life, allowing the Devil to take a hold, and pushing God out, I allow Him to become distant from me.  But despite my constant failings and selfishness, God in His mercy surrounds me in the waves of his grace and forgiveness and draws me back to His side.  Lord I am humbled, and indeed overwhelmed by your grace, thank you for your faithfulness despite my failings………