God's Unchanging Presence Amidst Life's Illusions

Summary

Growing up in Nebraska, the horizon was always a straight, unwavering line—a constant presence. But after moving to a place with mountains, I noticed how the horizon seemed to shift. Some days, the mountains felt close enough to touch; other days, they seemed distant and obscured. This experience mirrors our relationship with God. There are seasons when God feels near, and others when God seems far away, even though, in reality, God’s presence never changes. The difference is often what stands between us and God—our circumstances, our choices, or the voices we listen to.

Jeremiah’s story reminds us that God’s people have always struggled with distance—real or perceived—from God. The Israelites, led astray by corrupt leaders and false prophets, lost sight of who God was. Yet, even as they wandered, God declared, “Am I a God nearby and not far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” God’s presence is not determined by our faithfulness or our failures. Even when we twist God’s words or hide in shame, God remains steadfast, longing for relationship with us.

We live in a world saturated with voices—media, culture, influencers, even well-meaning friends and family—all shaping our beliefs and perceptions. Sometimes, these voices distort the truth, just as the serpent did in Eden, or as false prophets did in Jeremiah’s day. We must be discerning, recognizing that not every voice speaks truth, and that even our own understanding is filtered through years of cultural influence. The challenge is to seek the “wheat” and not the “straw”—to hunger for what truly satisfies, even as we acknowledge that we will sometimes get it wrong.

Despite our confusion and failures, God’s nearness is not dependent on our ability to get everything right. The distance we feel is often an illusion, like the mountains on a hazy day. God is always present, always loving, always inviting us back. Our calling is simple: to love God and love our neighbor, trusting that Jesus has already removed every real barrier between us and God. No matter how far we feel, God is as close as the horizon—unchanging, ever-present, and forever loving.

Key Takeaways

- God’s Presence Is Constant, Not Conditional
Just as the mountains do not actually move, God’s nearness does not fluctuate based on our feelings or circumstances. The sense of distance we sometimes experience is shaped by what stands between us and God—our distractions, doubts, or the “haze” of life. But God fills heaven and earth, always present, always seeking relationship with us, regardless of our state. [29:31]

- The Voices We Listen To Shape Our Perception of God
From the earliest days in Eden to the present, humanity has been influenced by voices that twist or distort God’s truth. Whether it’s cultural narratives, media, or even misquoted scripture, these influences can cloud our understanding of who God is. Discernment is essential, as we seek to filter out the “straw” and hold fast to the “wheat” of God’s word and character. [35:17]

- Our Mistakes Create Illusions of Distance, Not Reality
When we fail or misunderstand, our instinct is often to hide from God, just as Adam and Eve did. Yet, God’s question, “Where are you?” is not about location, but about relationship—God already knows and is present. The barriers we perceive are of our own making; God’s love and presence remain unchanged, inviting us to return without fear. [30:35]

- Scripture Must Be Read with Context and Humility
Every time we approach scripture, we bring our own experiences, biases, and history. The meaning of a passage can shift as we grow and change, and it’s vital to read with awareness of context—who is speaking, to whom, and why. Above all, we must interpret through the lens of Jesus, allowing his life, death, and resurrection to shape our understanding. [24:30]

- Loving God and Neighbor Is the Heart of Faith
In a world of competing voices and endless opinions, the call remains simple: love God and love your neighbor. We will not always get it right, and we will sometimes feel lost or distant. But Jesus has already bridged every gap, and God’s love is forever, for always, and for everyone—no matter how things appear. [38:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[21:52] - The Shifting Horizon: Mountains and Perception
[23:38] - When God Feels Near or Far
[24:30] - Approaching Scripture with Context
[25:43] - What Is a Prophet?
[26:38] - Prophets: Truth-Tellers, Not Fortune Tellers
[27:29] - Jeremiah’s Message to Israel
[28:32] - Israel’s Failures and God’s Response
[29:31] - God’s Nearness Despite Our Failures
[30:35] - Adam, Eve, and the Illusion of Distance
[31:45] - Modern Voices and Filtered Truth
[33:01] - Cultural Influence on Belief
[34:03] - Heaven, Hell, and Misconceptions
[35:17] - Misquoted Scripture and False Hopes
[35:58] - Confusion, Anxiety, and the Search for Truth
[37:12] - Wheat vs. Straw: What Truly Satisfies
[38:09] - God’s Presence Is Unchanging
[39:20] - Praying for Clarity and Confidence
[40:12] - God’s Love Is Forever
[41:02] - Closing Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

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### Bible Reading

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (ESV)
> “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.”

Genesis 3:8-9 (ESV)
> And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

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### Observation Questions

1. In Jeremiah 23:23-24, what does God say about His presence and our ability to hide from Him?
2. According to the sermon, what were some of the reasons the Israelites felt distant from God during Jeremiah’s time? ([28:32])
3. In Genesis 3:8-9, what did Adam and Eve do after they sinned, and how did God respond? ([30:35])
4. What are some examples from the sermon of “voices” that influence how we see God today? ([33:01])

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### Interpretation Questions

1. Why do people sometimes feel like God is far away, even though Jeremiah says God fills heaven and earth? ([29:31])
2. How does the story of Adam and Eve hiding from God help us understand our own reactions when we make mistakes? ([30:35])
3. The sermon mentions that not every voice we hear tells the truth about God. How can we tell the difference between “wheat” and “straw” when it comes to spiritual truth? ([37:12])
4. What does it mean to read Scripture “through the lens of Jesus,” and why is that important? ([24:30])

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### Application Questions

1. The sermon compared God’s presence to the mountains on a hazy day—always there, but sometimes hard to see. When was the last time you felt like God was distant? What was happening in your life at that time? ([21:52])
2. Are there specific “voices” (media, people, culture) that you notice are shaping your view of God? How can you be more discerning about which voices you listen to? ([33:01])
3. When you make mistakes or feel ashamed, do you tend to hide from God or try to fix things on your own? What would it look like to respond differently, knowing God is always near? ([30:35])
4. The sermon said that the distance we feel from God is often an illusion. What are some “barriers” in your life right now that might be making God seem far away? ([29:31])
5. How can you practice reading Scripture with more context and humility this week? Is there a passage you’ve misunderstood before that you want to revisit? ([24:30])
6. The call to “love God and love your neighbor” was described as the heart of faith. What is one practical way you can show love to a neighbor (literal or figurative) this week? ([38:09])
7. Jesus has already removed every real barrier between us and God. How does this truth change the way you approach God in prayer or worship, especially when you feel unworthy or distant? ([38:09])

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Devotional

Day 1: God Is Always Near, No Matter How We Feel
No matter what we experience or how distant God may seem, God is always present with us, filling heaven and earth. Our perception of God's closeness can change based on our circumstances, emotions, or the "clouds" in our lives, but God's presence remains constant and unwavering. Just as the mountains may look closer or farther depending on the weather, so too can God feel near or far, but the truth is that God never leaves us. Even when we make mistakes or feel lost, God is right here, longing for relationship and reminding us that any distance we sense is only an illusion. [29:31]

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (ESV)
“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.”

Reflection: When have you felt God was far away, and what “clouds” or circumstances might have influenced that feeling? How might you remind yourself today that God is just as close now as ever?


Day 2: The Danger of Twisting God’s Words
From the very beginning, humanity has struggled with misunderstanding or twisting what God says, often listening to voices that distort the truth and lead us away from God’s intentions. The story of Adam and Eve shows how easily we can be deceived by subtle changes in God’s words, leading to actions that create a sense of separation from God. This tendency continues today, as we are surrounded by countless voices—some well-meaning, some not—that can confuse or mislead us about who God is and what God desires for us. Recognizing this pattern helps us to be more discerning and to seek God’s truth above all else. [30:35]

Genesis 3:1-10 (ESV)
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Reflection: What is one “voice” or message you’ve heard recently that may have twisted or misrepresented God’s truth? How can you seek God’s voice more clearly today?


Day 3: God’s Plans Are Rooted in Hope and Relationship
God’s promise to the exiled Israelites was not just about their immediate circumstances, but about a hope and a future grounded in God’s faithfulness and presence. Even when everything seemed lost, God assured them that they were not abandoned, and that His plans were for their good—not for harm. This hope is not just for the Israelites, but for all who trust in God, pointing ultimately to Jesus and the resurrection as our true hope and future. No matter where we find ourselves, God’s desire is to be in relationship with us and to give us a future filled with hope. [35:58]

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust that God’s plans for you are good, even if your current circumstances feel uncertain or discouraging?


Day 4: Discernment Amid Competing Voices
We live in a world overflowing with opinions, advice, and interpretations—about God, about life, about what we should believe and do. Every message we receive is filtered through someone else’s perspective, and it can be hard to know which voices to trust. Even well-known phrases or ideas can be misquoted or misunderstood, leading us away from the heart of God’s message. The challenge is to seek the “wheat” and not the “straw”—to pursue what truly nourishes our souls and aligns with God’s truth, rather than settling for what is popular or easy. [35:17]

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)
“But test everything; hold fast what is good.”

Reflection: What is one belief or idea about God or faith that you’ve accepted without question? How can you “test” it today by comparing it to Scripture and prayerfully seeking God’s guidance?


Day 5: Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
Despite our mistakes, confusion, or the barriers we think we’ve built, God’s love remains constant and unbreakable. Any sense of distance between us and God is an illusion—God is always right here, longing for us to know His presence and love. Jesus has already removed every real barrier, and we are invited to rest in the assurance that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Our calling is simply to love God and love our neighbor, trusting that God’s grace is enough for us every day. [40:12]

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Reflection: Is there something in your life that makes you feel unworthy of God’s love or presence? How can you remind yourself today that God’s love for you is unchanging and always near?

Quotes

When we interact with Scripture, we have to think about who is talking, who they're talking to, what's going on in the world, read before and after and learn all of this context. And then as Christians, especially when we're reading the Old Testament, we have to look at it through the lens of Jesus's life, death and resurrection. And then the other thing we need to consider is who we are. Where are we coming to the script? How are we coming to that Scripture today? How we are raised, what we have learned and everything we have experienced changes how we read that Scripture. And that sometimes means that the Scripture we read today reads differently than that same Scripture tomorrow or five or ten years in the future. [00:24:17] (59 seconds)  #ContextShapesScripture Edit Clip

But a biblical prophet is really just somebody who told the truth. And one way to explain it is when you see somebody who's about to do something really stupid, like preach on Jeremiah, you might say something like, oh, that's probably not a good idea. But if you see somebody on a bicycle riding their bike and they're getting ready to go down a hill really fast and they don't have a helmet on, you might want to say, hey, you should put a helmet on because if you fall, you'll hit your head and you'll get hurt. And so if that person rides the bike down the hill and they fall and hit their head and become injured, it looks like you've told the future. But really, you just knew the consequences of the actions that that person was going to do. [00:26:04] (49 seconds)  #ProphecyIsTruth Edit Clip

Another thing you might have heard when you hear the word prophet is somebody who speaks truth to power. Have you heard that? Jonah, that's a more common thing. And those are people who are telling the powerful, the rulers, that what they are doing, the hard truths about what they are doing and how it's going to impact the community around them and reminding them of the consequences of their actions. Does that sound like fun? Do you guys know who Jonah is? Maybe there's a reason why he ran away and spent three days in a fish instead of doing the prophet thing God had asked him to do, because being a prophet is not easy. [00:26:53] (47 seconds)  #TruthToPower Edit Clip

But despite all of that terrible, the very first thing we hear in this scripture is God saying, Am I a God nearby and not far off? Who can hide in the secret places so that I cannot see them? Do I not fill heaven and earth? This is a reminder that when everything is going wrong, and even when you're listening to those wrong voices, God is right there. God fills heaven and earth. God is not a God who is far off, but is right here, even just no matter what. [00:29:17] (44 seconds)  #GodIsAlwaysNear Edit Clip

Humans have a history of taking what God says and twisting it, or listening to people who have twisted it. It's a big problem. Can anybody think of the first time that happened? I'll give you a hint. It's really early. When Adam, that's exactly right. The serpent twisted God's words and asked, Did God really say that? And so then they took what God said, twisted it, listened to it differently, and then they did something they weren't supposed to do. And then what happened was they hid behind some plants and bushes and trees and hoped that God wouldn't find them. They put something between God and themselves. And God asks, Where are you? Not because God didn't know where they were, because God has been with them the whole time. That's what sin is. It's the mistakes that we make that create us. We put our distance between God. Even if God isn't actually further away, we think that God is further away. [00:30:01] (84 seconds)  #TwistingGodsWords Edit Clip

Have you heard the phrase, money is the root of all evil? It's scriptural, except that's not what it says. First Timothy 6 10 says, for the love of money is a root of all evil. It's a little different than money is the root of all evil. [00:35:17] (22 seconds)  #HopeBeyondCircumstance Edit Clip

And in Jeremiah, that that first I quoted earlier, the plans I have for you not to prosper, or to not to harm you, but to prosper you for a hope and a future. And I think that's the name of the author. And I think that the truth is, you know, that's what we're trying to do. that's really God speaking to the Israelites who are living in exile. And it was a reminder that God had not abandoned them. Now, I love to take that verse for myself and think, yes, God has a plan for me in my life, and there is a hope and a future. But no matter what my circumstances are, that hope and that future is not here. That hope and that future is Jesus and the resurrection for me, just as it was for the Israelites. In 600 BC. [00:35:40] (44 seconds)  #ConfusedByVoices Edit Clip

If you eat a bunch of grass, you'll survive, but you won't be satisfied. Something will feel like it's missing. But you know that really good feeling after you eat some bread? That's a good feeling. I love bread. That is a satisfied feeling. So when we're encountering words and voices and we feel like something's missing, maybe it's because we're eating straw and not wheat. [00:37:16] (29 seconds)  #GraceInOurFailures Edit Clip

The other thing we can remember is that despite our best efforts to seek out the wheat instead of the straw, we are going to fail every day. But every time we mess up, because we will misinterpret scripture, we will make mistakes. We will eat the wrong food and listen to the wrong people. We'll have a tendency to be like Adam and Eve and all of the people who have come before us and try to hide ourselves from God because we've made mistakes. But God ultimately is with us. No matter how far away we try to make God be, God is right here with us. [00:37:45] (47 seconds)  #TrustInGodsPresence Edit Clip

``We can trust that if we are doing our best to love God and love our neighbor, that's enough. We don't need to be anxious about where God is or what barriers we are putting between God and us. Jesus has already taken care of those barriers. God hasn't gone anywhere. God isn't going anywhere. And any distance that you or I can put between God is really just an illusion, like how those mountains look further off some mornings. God is the same distance every single day, and God is right here. [00:38:32] (44 seconds) Edit Clip