The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
PSALM 145:18

People pray for all sorts of reasons. The businessman calls out to God in the time of financial crisis. The person with a terminal disease cries out for healing. The forsaken spouse calls out for restoration. As they say, there are no atheists in a foxhole. Here is the incredible beauty and grace of God on display; not only does He answer these cries of desperation, the supplicant often receives more than they bargained for. God Himself shows up in response to these cries for help. Could it be that that was the point all along? The Lord knows what we really need; Him. Could it be that that is why we find ourselves in these jams? The Lord wanted us to recognize our need for Him, we call out for help, and The Lord comes Himself to initiate fellowship with us. What an amazing God! Murray talks about our greatest need in prayer, to abide with Him. Check out his thoughts on walking with God.

“You long to continually experience the nearness of God. Here is the secret: Pray. Pray without ceasing. Then you will have the assurance that the Lord is near to those who call upon Him. Prayer has the wonderful power of drawing us nearer to God and keeping us in His presence. God is everywhere and He is ready and able to grant us unbroken fellowship with Him.
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? The answer is clear. Realize first that God is near you, within you, and then you will feel how natural it is to talk to Him each moment about your needs and desires. It is this kind of prayer of which Paul says, “Night and day we pray most earnestly” (1 Thessalonians 3:10). The principle of complete dependence on the unseen God, and the holy habit of claiming His presence with us each moment of the day, is the secret to a life of true godliness.”

What a shocking turnaround. We came to Him about our troubles, He came in response to our prayers and suddenly our troubles weren’t what we thought. His nearness and His kindness cause all the troubles to fade into a distant memory. If you are hurting today get ready for a double blessing. Call out to The Lord and He will hear your prayer, He will set things in motion to answer your prayer and He will begin a new intimacy with you as a result of your prayer.