Monday, August 28, 2017

 

Four of my favorite things to do are: traveling, shopping, a good meal, and being with friends and family. Having said this, for me there is no better place to be than close to God. There is no substitute for being in His presence. Regardless of how high or low I might be feeling, in blessings or in pain, nothing can take away from me the joy of being close to God. I cannot explain it, but when I am in the presence of God nothing else matters. Sadly, many believers seldom or never experience feeling close to Him.

 

If you have ever felt close to God then you know what I am talking about. It is an unexplainable yet undeniable experience in which He overwhelms all of your senses. So, why is it then that so few seldom or never experience being in His presence? One reason is because we confuse the pursuit of God’s blessings and promises with the pursuit of His presence. This reminds me of the story of Abraham and his family. They were essentially a nomadic tribe with no land to call their own. One day God spoke to Abraham and said: Get up Abraham, I am going to give you a land of your own and your descendants will be as many as the stars in heaven. Abraham by faith left his home in search of God’s blessing and promise. After suffering many ups and downs, perils and dangers while on the road, Abraham came to the realization that while God’s promises and blessings are good, the exceeding and great reward was in fact God himself. Many believers are chasing after God’s promises and blessings yet they never stop to be close to Him. After all, what is better, to have His blessings, or to have the one who gives the blessings?

 

Another reason why many believers seldom or never experience God’s presence is because they are searching for God in all the wrong places. What I am about to say might sound like blasphemy; please allow me to finish before you stop reading. Too many believers are trying to find God in church, in prayer services, or in vigils and retreats. Often times however the only thing they experience, are the emotions of being in what is considered to be a sacred place or activity. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this; as believers this should be our daily bread. However, when I think about being close to God, I am often reminded of something that the Evangelist Nicky Cruz says, “You are never closer to the heart and the pulse of God than when you are reaching out to a lost soul”. If you want to experience being close to God, you need to walk over to where He is.

 

Psalms 34:18 TLB

The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; he rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins.