Near and Far (Monday Manna)

The purpose of Monday Manna to get together and get to know Christ more through His Word. Each Thursday, a Bible verse to ponder will be posted, either here or at my dear friend Vonnie's blog, My Back Door. The following Monday, those participating will post their thoughts on the verse at their own blogs and link up at the bottom of the post in the Mr. Linky  gadget. The main purpose is to chew on the same Scripture and learn from one another.

I'm hosting this week. And here's the verse.

Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law. Psalm 119:150

I'm also opening this up to ANY verses from Psalm 119 - an absolute favorite of mine, and all about His Holy Word.

Looking forward to your thoughts. Mine are below.
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 Sometimes, it feels like I'm surrounded by evil - like I can't hide from it. Wherever I turn, something awful is going on.

I grew up in the Los Angeles area. Violence was an everyday occurrence on the news, and not completely foreign in my own middle-class neighborhood. I was held up at gunpoint working in the local mall. OJ Simpson's slow-speed chase came within a mile or two of my childhood home.

When I moved to Grand Rapids, I assumed that, though it was no paradise, violence would be greatly decreased. And, for the most part, I was right. Until last Thursday, when Rodrick Dantzler went on a shooting rampage, killing seven people - two children, one of them his own daughter - in two different homes on Grand Rapids' northeast side. This afternoon to night craziness included a police chase, shots fired on a major Grand Rapids street (right near a CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, for goodness sake!), and a hostage situation, and concluded with Dantzler killing himself. More info here.

The events haunted me as I heard about them - in some ways, they still do. And they likely will for a long time. I have no idea what was going through this man's head as he committed these crimes, but it's likely safe to say he was not meditating on God's Word, or His promises. Though Grand Rapids has an abundance of churches, "these things" still happened within its borders.

But, no matter how near that evil is, His Word can get us through. Sin is "far from" the law of the Lord--but if we are close to it, He will help us through.

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Thanks for reading. Please link up in the gadget below with your own thoughts on the verse, and read the other contributions.




Paving Rough Roads With God's Presence