DRAW NEAR TO THE ONE WHO CARES
James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. . .”
1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares on Him; for He cares for you.”
Focus: When we accept the call to draw near to God, we truly experience the reality of His Presence, and His Precious Unlimited Care.
In our first verse of focus for today, we are encouraged to draw near to God. Since we cannot see Him, you may wonder how this can be possible. First of all, we have His assurance that when we draw near to Him, He will respond. God Loves us so much that He is always near, but He wants to be with us in a more intimate, personal way. Therefore, when we express our love for Him by singing to Him, showing appreciation for His Presence, by inviting Him to join us in our activities, or just thanking Him for a beautiful sunset, that is drawing near to God.
Our second verse of focus gives us further insight. This verse reveals that God measures our love for Him, by the way we treat our fellowmen. We draw near to God, when we demonstrate our love by caring for the wellbeing of others. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the sorrowing, and care for the sick, we draw near to the very Heart of God. He is well pleased to have us partner with Him Hand-in-hand to meet needs and address concerns. As we draw near to Him to help them, He gets a grand opportunity to reach out and draw them to Himself.
We draw near to God, when we study His Word. Before we begin, we thank Him for His willingness to reveal Himself to us, and ask Him to take away all that would hinder our time of fellowship. As we read, God draws near to us through His Holy Spirit, Who is in us. God wants us to know Him therefore; He has given us His Holy Word, so that He can share His Character, His Thoughts, His Ways, and some of His past activities. God draws near to us, even as He gives us an increasing understanding of His Principles and Purposes for our lives. We draw near, when we choose to surrender, by Believing, Accepting, Appreciating, and Applying that which has been revealed to us.
Our final verse gives us the greatest encouragement to draw near to God. We are told that He Cares for us. Just knowing that we are Loved Unconditionally by our Heavenly Father, is enough to draw us to run to Him. God bids us to draw near and cast all of our cares on Him. He draws near to reassure us that we are accepted, even as He listens to our prayers. He tenderly offers us His Counsel, Comfort, and Cheer, along with the necessary items requested. The Bible says, God is near to the brokenhearted; He delivers those who are discouraged Psalms 34:18). God truly delights to draw near to us, let us seek every opportunity to draw near to Him, in worship, in our work, and in experiencing the wonders of His Glorious Creation.