What does it mean to live close to
God? Often we think of this idea as
applying to someone else. We think of it
in terms of great saints and Bible characters.
We tend not to think of it as applying to ourselves.
Yet, this is exactly what God
desires and what His Word commands. We
are commanded to “Be holy,” “Live righteously,” “Walk in the Light,” and “Walk
by faith.” All of these things demand
that we live close to the Lord.
When we understand this, our
natural reaction is to try harder to read our Bibles and pray more, but we soon
tire of this just as we do of diets and New Year resolutions. Why?
Because we are trying to create spirituality in our own strength.
While Bible reading and prayer are
certainly elements of drawing closer to God, these exercises are only part of
it. The most important part is time:
time spent in His presence; time just talking to Him; time spent thinking and
meditating and learning to know His voice; because He promised if we would draw
near to Him, He would draw near to us.
So the real key is not the drawing
near that we do, but the drawing near
He does: for it is in the secret of
His presence where we may abide and in the shadow of the Almighty where we may
find rest (Psalm 31:20, & 91:1).
This
week I challenge you to seek out the presence of the Lord. It may not happen right away, but read that
Bible and spend time to draw near to the Lord.
He will honor it!
