You are never too far from God

Rachel Vaughn
Aug 25, 2025
6 min read

Today we’re leaning into a truth that might just set someone free: You are never too far from God.

Have you ever felt like you’ve gone too far, messed up too big, or drifted away so much that God couldn’t possibly want you back? Maybe you’ve thought, “If people knew the whole story, they’d walk away too.” But Psalm 139 reminds us that there is no place we can go — no mistake too big, no distance too wide, no darkness too deep — that God isn’t already there with us.

Wherever you are this morning — in your car, at work, or at the kitchen table — let this truth sink in: You are not beyond God’s reach.

Psalm 139:7–12 (NLT) — “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.”

Let’s start by talking about those moments when we feel far from God — but realizing He’s still right there.

We all go through seasons where God feels far away. But feelings aren’t facts. His presence never leaves us.

Do you remember a time when you felt far from God? Maybe you are in that season right now. It can be hard for us to really know and understand that God never leaves us — and that we feel far because we may have been the ones who put space between us and Him. When you feel distant, whisper a simple prayer: “Lord, remind me You’re here.” He will do that because He wants you to know that He never left you and that you can never be too far from Him.

Psalm 139 says whether we go to heaven or the grave, God is there. There’s no “too far gone.”

I have had many seasons in life where I felt completely alone and that no one even understood where I was at, so I just kept to myself. I’ve heard that keeping to yourself in those seasons is not always a good thing because it only makes us feel more distant. So, when we feel like that, let’s replace the thought of “I’ve gone too far” with “God is already here.” With this, we are able to seek God and maybe even ask others to pray with us as we walk through a dry season.

Don’t ever feel like what you have done and the mistakes you have made have pushed God away, because that just isn’t true.

There are hard, unfamiliar places in life, and some even seem very dark, but God is the only one who will never fail to guide and support us. He will guide you in ways you may not even expect and lead you somewhere completely new. When life feels dark and lonely, remember that God is the one who shines brightly in the dark… in fact, His light never goes dim.

Think of a dark room with a tiny little candle. That candle is making the room so bright that we can make out more than we thought we could. That light is God — He shines, He guides, and He never leaves you alone, not even in your darkest moments.

Sometimes it’s not just circumstances that make us feel far away. It’s our choices — the guilt, the shame, the regrets. But even then, God is there.

There is this one story in the Bible of someone trying to get away from what God wanted him to do — Jonah.

If you don’t know, God told Jonah to go and talk to the people of Nineveh and plead with them to turn back to Him. Jonah basically said no and ran. He ended up in the belly of a fish… talk about a dark place to be.

But God was still there, and He got a hold of Jonah, and Jonah did as God told him to.

At some point in our running, we will get tired and come to our wits’ end. At that point, you will know there is no other way and no one else who can help you like God can. All you have to do is surrender to Him.

Have you ever tried to run from God? How did He meet you?

I think the biggest thing that makes us think we are too far from God is guilt and shame.

Shame tells us that we are unworthy, and guilt tells us we can’t fix things. But God says, “You are loved, and I’m here to show you that love and mercy.”

God’s presence doesn’t just “find us” — it brings peace that surpasses understanding.

His strength supports us when we feel too weak to keep going.

Do you truly believe God forgives you? Do you know that He can give you strength that surpasses all understanding? And do you know that no matter the storm, God is the one who gives us peace?

By now, we’ve seen that God’s presence isn’t limited by distance, darkness, or even our mistakes. So, what does it look like to live every day with confidence that we are never too far from Him?

I often wonder how people who don’t have God in their lives make it through dark and lonely moments. And the longer I think about it, the more I realize those people may not know that God was the one who helped them through.

Imagine how different life would be for everyone if they realized God was always with them — not just in the big moments, but at all times.

How would your day go if you were living more aware that God was with you?

For me, it is realizing that everything I do is for God and that He is in all of it. I sometimes struggle with just regular daily things, but a while back I started thinking of them as moments to serve the Lord and be a good example for my kids. It seems silly to think that folding laundry, making dinner, and putting gas in the car is for the Lord… but what if in those moments you had an opportunity to speak to someone about God or show His love and kindness to them? This is a better way to live our day-to-day than to just think we are doing the same things day in and day out.

Have you ever had someone close to you tell you something, and you just don’t know how to help them? My answer would be yes.

Before, I would try to think of something to say, but God has corrected me in that. Now I let them know that I don’t know how I can help, but I’m going to pray about it. And if God gives me something for them, then I will let them know. That’s the thing — we just need to remind them they are not alone.

In our main scripture, we are reading how David is speaking encouragement and reminding himself that God will never leave him, no matter where he goes.

We don’t have to fear being alone — or the future, for that matter — because we know that we will always be in God’s loving, caring hands.

Let’s go back to Psalm 139. David says there’s nowhere we can go to escape God’s Spirit — not the heavens, not the grave, not the farthest ocean, not even the darkest night. God’s presence is everywhere.

So, wherever you find yourself today — whether you’re on a mountaintop or deep in a valley, in a season of joy or struggle, in light or in darkness —

remember this:

You are never too far from God.

He is with you. He will guide you. He will strengthen you. And He will never let you go.