Right Beside You 近在咫尺
Dexu Xia
Right Beside You
The Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him. Deuteronomy 4:7
Each day at a post office in Jerusalem, workers sort through piles of undeliverable letters in an attempt to guide each to its recipient. Many end up in a specially marked box labeled “Letters to God.”
About a thousand such letters reach Jerusalem each year, addressed simply to God or Jesus. Puzzled by what to do with them, one worker began taking the letters to Jerusalem’s Western Wall to have them placed between its stone blocks with other written prayers. Most of the letters ask for a job, a spouse, or good health. Some request forgiveness, others just offer thanks. One man asked God if his deceased wife could appear in his dreams because he longed to see her again. Each sender believed God would listen, if only He could be reached.
The Israelites learned much as they journeyed through the wilderness. One lesson was that their God wasn’t like the other gods known at the time—distant, deaf, geographically bound, reached only by lengthy pilgrimage or international mail. No, “the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him” (Deuteronomy 4:7). What other people could claim that? This was revolutionary news!
God doesn’t live in Jerusalem. He’s close by us, wherever we are. Some still need to discover this radical truth. If only each of those letters could be sent the reply: God is right beside you. Just talk to Him.
God’s accessibility to us is a profound gift. How can you avoid taking it for granted? Who in your life needs to know of God’s readiness to hear their prayer?
God, You are bigger than the universe yet closer than a breath. Thank You for being so interested in us, attending to every prayer.
近在咫尺
耶和华我们的上帝、在我们求告祂的时候与我们相近。—申命记4章7节
在耶路撒冷的一个邮局里，工作人员每天都会将成堆无法投递的信件进行分类，想方设法要将每封信送达收信人手中。结果，有许多信件被放入一个盒子内，盒子上特别标记着“写给上帝的信”。
每年约有一千封这类的信件寄至耶路撒冷，收信人都注明是上帝或耶稣。有个工作人员便将这些信带到耶路撒冷的哭墙，像别人所写的祷文一样放进石缝中。多数信件是为了求职、求偶或祈求身体健康。有些是请求宽恕，其他则是表达感恩。每位寄信人都相信只要上帝收到他们的信，祂就会聆听。
以色列人在旷野的旅程中学了很多，其中之一就是认识到他们的上帝不像当时人们所崇拜的其他神祇，那样遥不可及、不会聆听、受地域限制，只能透过长途跋涉的朝圣或国际邮件才接触得到。相反地，圣经告诉我们，耶和华我们的上帝，在我们求告祂的时候与我们亲近（申命记4章7节）。还有谁能做这样的宣告呢？这是空前绝后的信息！
上帝并不住在耶路撒冷。我们无论置身何处，祂都在我们身边。世上还有好多人需要明白这个真理，但愿他们都能知道：上帝就在你身边，你只管与祂倾谈。
上帝啊，祢远高于宇宙穹苍，但却又近在咫尺。感谢祢如此关心我们，聆听我们每一次的祷告。
我们能亲近上帝乃是极大的恩典。
你如何避免视之为理所当然？你身边有谁需要知道上帝会随时聆听他的祷告呢？