Draw Near To God--1

    James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Can you think of a statement more precious and wonderful than that? What a marvelous blessing it is to know that if one will move towards God, then God in turn will move towards the one who wants to be near Him. Drawing near to God means coming closer to Him, approaching His presence, coming under His influence. Drawing near to God opens up the possibility of being in His presence and experiencing safety, peace, happiness, and intimacy with deity, contentment and so many other spiritual blessings.

     For good reason we sing “There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God, a place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God. There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God, a place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God. There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God, a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.”

    But where is God? Where is He to be found? If one is to draw near to Him one must know where he can be located. This is the first of four articles about drawing near to God where He is. This first article is about finding God in His creation. The articles to follow will be about finding God in His word; finding God in the Church, i.e. His people; and finding God in heaven, His dwelling place.

    God can be found in His creation. Romans 1:20 says, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” One who observes the physical world and fails to find God misses one of the fundamental, essential truths of the universe. This world is not the result of some accidental, cataclysmic phenomenon. The beauty, the combination of simplicity and complexity working hand in hand, the order, the variety, the connectedness, the resources, the richness, and even the sometimes devastating power displayed in the forces of nature all speak to the working of a divine presence. How can one miss this truth?

    “This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.” Is this what happens within you when you consider the world in which you live? We draw near to God when we attend our ears to what the creation is telling us about the Creator. “This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought of rocks, of skies and seas-His hand the wonders wrought. This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world, He shines in all that’s fair; in the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me ev’ry where.” Look around you. Everywhere you look you will find a message from God. He is saying that He is real, He is powerful, He is kind and thoughtful, and He wants you to draw near to Him.

   God can be found in His creation. One draws near to Him by listening to and acknowledging what the very creation itself openly asserts about the one who spoke it all into existence. Truly “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)