So Close, yet so Far Away

What a beautiful privilege the disciples had, along with the people who lived alongside Jesus while he was physically on earth. They had the opportunity to experience and savor the very presence of the Master; they walked with him, listened to his teachings, and witnessed his miracles

: healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead. In short, they had the great privilege of seeing God himself incarnate. Judas Iscariot was also among them (Matthew 10:1–4). Yes, Jesus called his disciples, including Judas, to live alongside him. Judas had the opportunity to be in the very presence of the Master. But despite being right there, foot beside foot, step after step, he was so far from him.

We who have responded positively to the Lord’s call have a similar privilege. The privilege of being close to him—or, better yet, of being in the very presence of the Lord. We can feel his presence; we speak with him, he speaks to us, and we live each day with the Lord. But despite all this, many of us may be experiencing what Judas experienced. Judas was distracted; other things took priority in his life. So great was his distraction that he failed to realize he was living alongside the Creator of the universe, God himself.

At times, working on the Lord’s business becomes a harmful routine for us. We enjoy doing it and delight in it, but sometimes we forget for whom we are doing it and the true meaning of what we are doing. Sometimes we delight so much in the praise and admiration others give us that we lose our focus. We become so distracted that we no longer feel the Lord nearby; we do not feel his tenderness or his incomparable love—things that can only be experienced in the very presence of the Master. Everything about Jesus drew Judas to him, so much so that he followed him and delighted in him, and he even had a ‘front-row seat,’ so to speak, with Jesus. But he became distracted, drifting away so subtly that by the time he realized it and wanted to repent, it was too late.

On one occasion, the Lord Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). The Lord said this with sorrow and displeasure because he wanted them to understand the importance and benefits of being intimately involved with him. Our hearts must be joined to the Lord’s heart, feeling its beat. He does not want us to be distracted.

Let us fight to keep our focus on what we do and for whom we do it. We must have passion and a desperate longing for the Lord, living for him and because of him. Let us not lose this great blessing.

May God bless us, and may the Lord grant that, if we sense in any way that other things are taking his place in our hearts, we recognize it in time and ask him always to help us remain intimately connected to him. Let us ask the Lord that we never stray from his presence, not even for an instant.