Draw Near
April 2005
When I was first married, I really
wanted to impress my husband. Like
most new wives, my goal was to blow
him away with how much better off
his life was now that he married me.
I wanted to him to look back over
his years of singleness and be remorseful
that it had taken him so long to find
me! I tried to cook gourmet meals
that I couldn't master, clean tirelessly
and do anything that would delight
him. I quickly found out that my efforts
were in vain. He was grateful for
my hard work but what he wanted more
than anything was a relationship.
He desired intimacy with me. He didn't
want me to spend my time impressing
him rather than just being close to
him.
In the book of Exodus, God sent Moses
to Pharaoh with a detailed message
for the release of His chosen people:
"Let my people go that they may
worship me" (Exodus 9:1). Please
notice: there was a specific purpose
that they were to be released. This
declaration was given by God over
a dozen times and was not mentioned
merely for Pharaoh's benefit but for
the people's as well. God wanted them
to be certain of the purpose behind
their freedom. He didn't say, Let
my people go . . . so that they can
inherit the promise land, be free
from oppression or experience my great
blessings. His message was clear:
God wanted the people to be free so
that they could have intimacy with
Him.
From the beginning of time God has
desired intimacy with His people.
"He is the God who is passionate
about His relationship with you"
(Exodus 34:14,NLT). It started in
the beginning when He wanted to walk
in the garden with Adam and Eve, continued
in the New Testament when He clothed
Himself in humanity to walk among
us and goes on today as He woos us
to Himself by the Holy Spirit which
indwells us. His goal for freeing
the children of Israel from Egypt
in the Old Testament was the same
as it is today when He frees us from
the power of sin: He wants to get
close to you and have intimate fellowship.
Listen to Him call: "Draw near
to me and I will draw near to you"
(James 4:5). Can't you just hear the
longing in His voice?
How easy it is for you and I to forget
this most crucial message. In fact,
I am certain that Satan wants us to
miss it and undermine its importance.
Why? He knows that our ability to
hear God's voice, live supernaturally
and experience fulfillment as believers
hinges on intimacy with God. Satan
understands that as long as we aren't
close to Him we will never walk in
the true freedom that He has in store
for us. He wants us to be so busy
trying to impress the Lord that we
miss out on the depth of intimacy
that He desires. The enemy does this
because He knows that intimacy is
where the presence and power of God
is known and experienced.
It can be so easy for us to lose track
of the issue of divine intimacy. The
children of Israel did. They got so
caught up in their own wants and desires
that they missed out on fellowship
with God. He continued to call to
them but for years to come the Jews
would have problems with this. God
would send many reminders to the people
of His desire for intimacy that they
would refuse. He told the prophet
Isaiah to remind the people that their
frantic activity was worthless because
it didn't stem from an intimate, passion
filled relationship with Him (Isaiah
29:13). Jeremiah would be sent to
remind them that when He didn't command
them concerning what they were to
do for him but rather to simply "obey
My voice, and I will be your God and
you will be my people" (Jeremiah
7:22-23). Do you see the Father's
heart for his children? I have been
so guilty of forgetting that God is
too great to be impressed by all my
activity anyway. People might be impressed
but God will not be. I bring a smile
to His face when I sit at His feet,
hear His voice and discover the secrets
reserved for His friends. (Ps 25:14)
We can become involved in ministry
to such an extent that we are too
tired to talk to Him and there He
sits on the sidelines of our "work
for Him" waiting for us to draw
near.
The Jews of old forgot this crucial
point. Have you? Have I? This is why
they complained and grumbled while
in the wilderness, made idols for
themselves and even longed to go back
to Egypt (Numbers 4:4). They had taken
their eyes off of the reason why God
had delivered them. They hadn't been
set free for the promise land, they
had been delivered so that they could
freely worship God and have intimacy
even if they were in the dry, wasteland
wilderness.
His invitation for friendship was
turned down in the garden. It was
refused by His people in the wilderness,
laughed at by the Jews of the New
Testament and criticized by the Pharisees
and religious leaders. Now, he offers
the invitation to you and me. May
our response be like David's: "My
heart has heard you say, 'Come and
talk with me', my heart responds,
'Lord, I'm coming?'. (Psalm 27:8,NLT)
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