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Psalms 145:18

Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalms 145:18 · World English Bible (public domain)

Where this sits

From an acrostic psalm of praise, the last one attributed to David in the Psalter. Its theme is God's greatness and his nearness held together.

Reflection

The psalm this comes from spends most of its length on scale. God's greatness is unsearchable. His kingdom is everlasting. His dominion endures through all generations. It is a psalm about size.

And then this verse, which puts the same God within earshot.

Near is a spatial word, and David uses it deliberately after all that expansion. The two claims are held together without any sense that they conflict: the one whose greatness cannot be searched out is close enough to hear an ordinary voice. Most religion loses one or the other. A God small enough to be near is not worth much; a God large enough to matter is usually described as remote.

Then the condition, which is repeated with a modification. Near to all who call on him — then, immediately, to all who call on him in truth. The repetition is not accidental; the second clause is doing something the first does not.

In truth is not a standard of eloquence or of theological accuracy. It means the calling is real — that the person doing it means it, and is not performing. The psalm rules out ritual noise and rules in almost everything else, including calls that are angry, confused, or badly worded.

And all appears twice. No category of person is named.

Theme:
Prayer
Book:
Psalms

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