The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Psalms 34:18
In my younger years, scouting was very much a part of my life, and I attained the rank of Eagle. Our troop was a great one and all of the leaders were veterans of World War II, so they ran the troop like they ran the military. I never understood why, but we always closed every troop meeting with the singing of Taps.
Later in life, as I developed spiritually, I drew the spiritual attachment. Taps closed the day that was done as the sun set below the horizon. It was the end of the day and celebrated that all was well. It is often played at burials signifying the end of a life. The final bugle call of the day on military installations, Taps is played at military bases as a signal to service members that it is quiet time or “lights out”.
The key to me is “God is nigh.” This is a reminder that God is close to those who place their hope and trust in His promises. God’s word is Truth and He cannot lie so if we take Him at His word He will hear our cries for help and respond as He draws near to us because of His great love for us. Nigh is an old-fashioned word that can be used as an adjective or adverb to mean near.
James 4:8 tells us to draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. James promised that when we resist Satan, he will leave. In verse 8, James calls us to draw near—to move closer—to God. This comes with an additional promise: God will respond by moving closer to us. That’s an incredible act of mercy on God’s part.
What was causing fights and quarrels among the Christians to whom James was writing? They were living by the world’s wisdom. This false perspective says human beings should do whatever it takes to get what they want in this life, even if it hurts other people. James says that to live that way is adultery, but God gives grace. Christians should repent and move close to God again. We should trust Him to provide, to be the Judge, and to lift us up in His time. In humility, we must acknowledge that all of our plans are dependent on Him, and He can change them at any moment.
So, the message of taps is to make sure when the day is done, as we pillow our head and cover ourselves with the cover of God,
…all is well because God is nigh.
by John Grant
used by permission
FURTHER READING
• God is Always Near – by Alec Niemi
• Near – by Kathy Cheek
• The Lord is Near – by Phil Ware
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