Closer to God
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…” James 4:8
“How can I get closer to you, Lord?” I asked God. The answer came quickly. “Draw near to me.” I knew I was hearing God. God never speaks against His Word; He always speaks in line with the Bible. If we ever hear anything we believe is God speaking to us personally and it does not line up with the Bible, it’s not from God. Earlier that day, I had been led to the very scripture that supported the words I had just heard from Him.
In my incessant, relentless hunger and thirst for the Lord and for His righteousness, I wanted even more of Him than I had already been given. More of His presence. More of His love, grace, and mercy. More of His nearness. More knowing Him. More cleaving to Him. More understanding of His Truth. More hearing Him. More of His Word which is His Truth. More wisdom in how to please Him. More of His Spirit. More God. That’s what I wanted – and more. More of everything He would possibly give me of Himself. So I sought Him. More intimacy. Oh, to be closer to God!
And He answered. “Draw near to me.” When we want more of something, we draw near to it, don’t we? We want more yummy cake. We sneak into the kitchen and cut another thick slice of it. We want more television. We sit down by the tv. We want more of the awesome book we’re reading. We open it and read it. We want a closer relationship with our spouse. We spend more time with our spouse. We want more success at work. We spend more time working. When we want something, we go for it. We go to it. We get as close to it as we can so we can satisfy our hunger for more. But how many of us are hungry for more of God? How many of us are drawing nearer to Him? How do we draw near?
We draw before Him. We cry out to Him. We seek His face. We open our hearts and ears to hear from Him. We open our Bibles. We dive into His Word. We yearn for Him. We praise and adore Him. We worship Him. We get on our knees and faces. We pour out our hearts to Him. We ask Him questions. We pray to Him. We listen for the wisdom He gives us. We think about Him. We talk to Him. We learn His ways. We yearn to walk in them. We tell Him our desire for Him. We let Him change us, shape us, mold us, grow us. We yield to Him. We unwind in Him. We rest in Him. We lean back on Him. We lean into Him. We chase after Him. He answers. With more of Himself. More of His presence. More God.
There is nothing and nobody in the universe greater than God. So why are we hungry for so much other than Him? Why are we drawing ever nearer to the stuff and people of this world? Oh, how we deceive ourselves in seeking satisfaction from this world. When will we wake up and draw ever closer to God?
Draw near to God. Oh, draw near to the Lord!