The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Reaching

When people dream about what they can achieve, they are often told to “reach for the stars.” Well, we all know one can reach, at least metaphorically, but never touch. The nearest star, our sun, is 93 million miles away, and if anyone even got much closer to it than we are now, they’d be incinerated. The temperature even on Venus, our next closest planetary neighbor, is 720 degrees Kelvin. The surface of the sun is a whopping 5800 degrees Kelvin. Does that tell you anything about the power of the Creator of the sun?

Happily, there’s no danger of incineration when we reach for God. What Paul preached to the people of Athens is still true. Paul told them in chapter 17 that God revealed himself to us as the One who made everything and the One who dictates the rise and fall of nations. He revealed himself as the One in control of all things. Why does God go to such lengths to reveal himself? So that perhaps we might seek him. It’s as if God is holding his breath, willing each and every person to reach out to him.

God promises that when we search for him, we’ll find him and be satisfied. Living in God’s realm is like being returned to our natural element. Our every breath is in his hands: “For in him we live and move and have our being” (verse 28). Otherwise we are spiritually like fish out of water; we can do nothing to help ourselves; we cannot move, and our spirits cannot stay alive.

Imagine the God of the universe wanting you to reach out to him—waiting in eager anticipation. Do you know what’s really remarkable? As you begin reaching toward God, you’ll find you don’t need to reach at all. He is not far. There’s no stretch. Our loving God is as close as your next breath—your next prayer. Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Taken from the NIV Woman’s Devotional Bible.