All right, so God knows me and controls me (Psalm 139:1–6); He can do that at a distance, through millions and millions of light years of space. But is He near? According to Psalm 139, David’s song about the amazing attributes of God, yes.

The Lord remains in complete control of the smallest details of His creation; He is all-knowing and all-powerful. Knowing us as He does, He puts the necessary controls upon us. The fact that He “encloses” us could be misunderstood. This is the translation of a Hebrew term used for the besieging of a city in battle—closing off all escape routes. One Hebrew scholar says it means “to be hemmed in.” The idea is that God has us in inescapable situations . . .

If you’ve ever been a part of a large organization, such as a multibillion-dollar corporation or a governmental agency or a university, it’s unlikely you’ve ever met the people at the top of the leadership chain. You may have heard their names or read their announcements, but you probably didn’t know them personally. And they undoubtedly wouldn’t have known you from any other person in the organization. So, it’s only natural to wonder if the supreme Ruler of the universe has the slightest idea who you are.

Interesting word, enthusiasm. It’s derived from two Greek terms, en (meaning “in”) and theos (meaning “God”), carrying the idea of being inspired. In the original sense of the word, a person was so overtaken with the presence of God, he or she could barely contain the excitement. That makes sense. The truth of God applied to our circumstances brings a burst of enthusiasm nothing else can provide.