God is Near, a prayer against alienation (CCAR 1923)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Unknown and Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

Shared on:

22 February 2026 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

Yom Kippur, Well-being, health, and caregiving

Tags:

20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., alienation, אנה אמצאך ana emtsaeka, Aseret Yemei Tshuvah, depression, English vernacular prayer, teḥinot in English

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Seek the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6)
	Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. (Psalms 22:12)
	Thou art nigh, O Lord, and all Thy commandments are truth. (Psalms 119:151)
	For thus saith the High and Lofty One, That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy; I dwell in the high and lofty place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the spirit of the contrite ones. (Isaiah 57:14)
	The Lord is nigh to all that call upon Him; to all that call upon Him in truth. (Psalms 145:18)
	Fain would my heart come nigh To Thee, O God on high, But evil thoughts have led me astray From the pure path of righteous government. Guide Thou me back into Thy holy way, And count me not as one impenitent. O would that I might be A servant unto Thee, Thou God by all adored! Then, though by friends outcast, Thy hand would hold me fast, And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord! Contrite and full of dread, I mourn each moment fled, ’Midst idle follies roaming desolate: I seek beneath transgressions manifold, That from Thy presence keep me separate, Nor can sin-darkened eyes Thy light behold. O would that I might be A servant unto Thee, Thou God by all adored! Then, though by friends outcast, Thy hand would hold me fast, And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord! So lead me that I may Thy sovereign will obey. Make pure my heart to seek Thy truth divine; When burns my wound be Thou with healing near! Answer me, Lord! For sore distress is mine, And say unto Thy servant, I am here. O would that I might be A servant unto Thee, Thou God by all adored! Then, though by friends outcast, Thy hand would hold me fast, And draw me near to Thee, my King and Lord! (from Jehuda Halevi’s “Servant of God,” as adapted by Alice Lucas^[1] First published in Songs of Zion (1894), pp. 9-12 )
	The very thought of the greatness of God, leads us at times to think of Him as dwelling far away. He is too great, we think, to concern Himself with little things, with unimportant man, with the trivial experiences of every day. Yet in truth it is the greatness of God which makes Him near unto us. For just as nothing is too difficult for His power, so nothing is too small for His omniscience and His love. His mercy shines into the farthest corners of the universe. He ‘giveth food to the young ravens which cry’; He is near to the needy and the lowly. It was not in the storm or in the earthquake that Elijah found God, but in the still small voice. God is everywhere, far and near, in the infinities of the universe and in the chambers of the heart; in the mighty events which astound us, and in the song of a bird, the beauty of a flower and the smile of a child. His spirit is in the mission of a prophet and in the glory of a hero, and also in the love, service, joy and gratitude of humble men and women. Neither time nor distance limit God’s love and help.
	God is near when we bring Him near; He is far when we depart from Him. When we shout down the voice of duty, when we disregard God’s law, when we shut our hearts to Him, then He seems to be far away, ‘high and lofty, inhabiting eternity’ (Isaiah 57:15). But when we seek Him, when His words are in our heart, and we meditate on them day and night, then ‘God is nigh to those who call upon Him, who call upon Him in truth.’
	Infinite Lord, the heavens and the earth cannot contain Thee, much less the temples which men build. Thy being is timeless. What vision can the brief moment of the life of men give them of Thy reality. Yet in Thy majestic love Thou dost approach them, and in Thy mercy dost Thou lift up Thy countenance to illumine the places where they assemble to praise Thy name. Whenever Thy children call upon Thee, Thou revealest Thy presence.
	Merciful Father, keep me near unto Thee. Thou art ever by my side, but I, alas, often flee from Thy presence. O let not the cloud of my mortal weakness, my selfishness and my discord shut out Thy light from me. Be Thou with me in all my undertakings. Keep me conscious of Thee, so that, when temptation comes, I may remain firm, when danger threatens, I may not lose heart, and when I walk through the valley of the shadow, I shall not fear, for Thou art with me. Amen.

“God is Near” is the fifteenth prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 53-56. Unfortunately, we do not yet know of a resource providing clear attribution of authorship for any of the prayers in this volume.

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Notes

Notes
1	First published in Songs of Zion (1894), pp. 9-12

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Unknown

Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.

Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)

God is Near, a prayer against alienation (CCAR 1923)

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