God at a Distance - Martin Wiles

But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8 NLT

Sitting silently, it waited to be picked up to talk to people who were far away.

Telephones have changed drastically during my lifetime. The first phone I remember was solid black with only a receiver and perched on my grandmother’s buffet in her dining room. To make a call, I picked up the receiver and, if no one was talking, waited for the operator’s assistance. This was called a party line. 

The next phone looked similar but had a dial so I could place my call without the operator’s help. Then the push button phone arrived. The cordless phone followed. Now I wasn’t bound by a cord and could move about while talking. 

Finally, cellular phones revolutionized communication. I could talk while traveling. Presently, I can carry my phone (computer) with me anywhere I go. Distance is no longer an issue.

While distance was once a problem when placing calls, it never has been for God. This Roman officer knew this long before the idea of communicating by phone ever entered an inventor’s mind. His servant was paralyzed and needed healing. He approached Jesus who offered to come to his house and heal the servant. The officer suggested Jesus do it long distance. Jesus was amazed at his faith. 

Sometimes I forget distance isn’t a problem for God. I imagine when praying that my prayers drift up to heaven and then vie for God’s attention—among the millions of others being offered at the exact moment. Then God has to schedule when he’ll take care of mine. And I wait.

To begin with, God is Spirit and omnipresent. He’s not bound by time and is everywhere at the same time. He can hear my prayers and millions more at the exact time and in the same moment. He isn’t confined by chronos time but operates in kairos time. 

While God can answer my prayer from a distance, from his perspective distance is never what I perceive it to be. He is as close as the breath I breathe to utter my request.

God is never too busy or far away to answer your prayers and supplications. Go to him often, believing he will answer any prayer made in faith.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for being as close as the air we breathe and for Your willingness to answer our prayers.

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Martin Wiles is a minister, author, and freelance editor currently living in Greenwood, South Carolina. He and his wife Michelle are founders of Love Lines From God, a devotional ministry helping those who want to enhance their spiritual journey with Christ. His latest book, Grits & Grace & God, is available at Amazon. Or sign up for his daily email devotions by visiting his website. 

The Secret Place - Martin Wiles

As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exodus 33:22 NLT

He was a master at making and discovering secret places. 

My maternal grandparents lived in an old farmhouse. My first cousin and his family lived a stone’s throw away. When I spent time visiting my cousin, we normally spent most of our time at our grandparent’s house. During one of my visits, he showed me his most recent discovery. Just above the small closet door in the kitchen was a hidden door. 

What greeted us when we opened it was a spiral staircase. Naturally, we wanted to explore. Up we went into a dusty cavern. My hopes for discovering hidden treasure were dashed. Rolls and rolls of player piano music was all we mined. No doubt once used on my grandmother’s old player piano that had been converted to a playable piano. 

I wonder now what this secret room was used for. A storage room. The room an unruly child was confined to. An extra bedroom. Maybe even a secret place to hide runaway slaves. Though we didn’t know the purpose, we had uncovered yet another secret place. 

Moses was sometimes overwhelmed by his God-given task of leading millions of people across a wilderness to their Promised Land. He wanted assurance of God’s guidance. On this occasion, he asked to see God’s presence as proof. Though God didn’t allow him to see his face, he did place Moses in a secret place—the cleft of a rock, as he passed by.  

Every believer needs their secret place. I have mine, and it’s not always the same place. It’s the place I go where God and I can be alone. A quiet place where I can hear God speak to me by his Spirit. A recliner in the early morning hours, a bench in a park, the bank of a pond, the top of a mountain peak, or a chair in the backyard. 

The spot I choose isn’t as important as my frame of mind when I go there and my purpose for being there. Secret places are for seeking God’s face and his plan and for renewing my resolve to serve him and others faithfully. Secret places are essential for good spiritual healthy and should be visited often. 

Find your secret place, and go there regularly.

Prayer: Father, show us Your presence in a fresh way when we meet with You in our secret places. 

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Martin Wiles is a minister, author, and freelance editor currently living in Greenwood, South Carolina. He and his wife Michelle are founders of Love Lines From God, a devotional ministry helping those who want to enhance their spiritual journey with Christ. His latest book, Grits & Grace & God, is available at Amazon. Or sign up for his daily email devotions by visiting his website. 

Christmas in a Strange Place - Martin Wiles

He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. Luke 2:5-6 NLT

We were in a strange place and had no plans to spend our first Christmas there. Eight years had passed since I graduated high school, but now I felt God’s call into full-time ministry. Obeying it would require furthering my education. I would have to attend college. 

By this time in my life, I was married and had a ten month old daughter. Pulling up stakes and leaving everything and everyone behind was scary. So we left our home in South Carolina and headed for unknown territory—Graceville, Florida. A small town whose appearance and climate varied little from what we were accustomed to. 

August found me back in a classroom but longing for December when we could return home for a week to celebrate Christmas with our family. My first semester breezed by. Before I realized it, we were loading the car for our drive to South Carolina. Eight hours later, we pulled into my parent’s driveway. 

Mom had been busy. Gifts bulged beneath the tree and spread out onto the living room floor. We received so many presents we had to purchase a car top carrier to store our luggage. When the week ended, we reluctantly packed our car, stuffed ourselves in between the gifts, and made our trek back to Florida. 

Sure we could have stayed in Florida and celebrated Christmas with our small family and perhaps a few friends, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to spend Christmas in a strange place…a place that was only our temporary residence. A tax census forced Mary and Joseph to a strange place. Jesus had to experience what I hesitated to do. 

Over the course of my life, I’ve spent Christmas in a number of strange places…places that weren’t my real home…temporary places of residence. But I’ve discovered Christmas isn’t tied to a place but rather a person. When Jesus abides in my heart, it’s Christmas all year long and anywhere I happen to reside. I’ll never celebrate Christmas in a strange place when I remember the true meaning of the season. 

Welcome Christ into your life so you’ll never have to celebrate Christmas in a strange place. 

Martin Wiles is a “preacher’s kid,” author, speaker, and freelance writer and editor currently living in Greenwood, South Carolina. He and his wife Michelle are founders of Love Lines From God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com), a devotional ministry helping those who want to enhance their spiritual journey with Christ. His latest book, Grits & Grace & God, is available at Amazon. Or sign up for his daily email devotions by visiting his website. 

Grits & Grace & God Book Review

Grits & Grace & God by Martin Wiles

(Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Reviewed by Lisa Padgett and Lori Hatcher

Martin Wiles’ honesty about his own life helps to put God’s words in perspective.

Dr. Wiles' use of his own struggles and experiences relay a message of having true faith for God to provide. He understands how most of us live and recommends that we can find the best financial advisor in God’s Word.

Grits & Grace & God is an eye opener on giving and how God will bless our daily needs if we follow God’s Word. He teaches us how to stock up God’s storehouse and how God will bless us for obeying him.

I wish this book was written when I was younger so I could understand the process of tithing and how it blesses your life. I recommend this book to all ages, although I wish I could have read it when I was in my early 20’s. Dr. Wiles understands how easy it is to become a slave to consumerism. This book gives us a group of devotions on how to deal with common financial struggles.

Lisa Padgett
Lisa Padgett lives in Harleyville, SC, and is Operations Coordinator at Berkeley Electric Cooperative, Inc.

It's no coincidence that Jesus talked more about money than he did heaven or hell. We deal with money every day. How we gain it, spend it, give it, and invest it says much about our faith.

My friend Martin Wiles has been through the financial fires. He's come through them not only with his faith intact, but even stronger than ever. And he's learned quite a few lessons along the way. He shares them in his new book, Grits & Grace & God.

Enjoy Martin's wise words as spiritual truths clothed in the garb of the ordinary. His devotions meet you where you are and take you into the presence of God.

Lori Hatcher

Lori is a lead writer for WOW blog and Editor of Reach Out Magazine, Columbia, SC.

This review is incorrectly dated to avoid going out to subscribers. The actual posting date is July 4, 2013.

To purchase Martin's book in print or ebook, visit Amazon.