“After he has been following Christ for a long time, the disciple of Jesus will be asked ‘Lacked ye anything?’ and he will answer ‘Nothing, Lord.’ How could he when he knows that despite the hunger and nakedness, persecution and danger, the Lord is always at his side.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
God’s nearness is a familiar concept to most Christians. Scripture is littered with promises and examples regarding God drawing near to His people. We often sing about it in our hymns or worship songs. I’m sure you’ve also heard, and probably even said, something close to Paul’s benediction in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, “The Lord be with you”.
Against all odds, we who were once far off and estranged from the House of the Lord by our own sin, have now “been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). Scripture promises that the LORD is indeed “near to the brokenhearted” (Ps. 34:17-18). Though “no one has ever seen God”, we know that He “abides in us and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). God is even nearer than we could have imagined! For those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, God is actually so near that He lives inside of us by His Spirit (Ez. 36:27, 1 Cor. 3:16, Gal. 4:6). Yes, God is near. Nearer than we could have hoped. And yet, God demands that we draw in even closer. We are commanded to “Seek His presence continually” (Ps. 105:4) and to “Call upon Him while He is near” (Is. 55:6).
Throughout my life, I have always known that God is close to me. It is a truth that I have heard often, and one that is held dearly in the darkest of times. It is a comfort to know that the Lord is near to me when I am suffering.
Rarely, though, have I stopped to consider just how striking this Christian doctrine is. Consider what we know about who God is and what He is like. Moses could not see the face of Yahweh or he would have died (Ex. 33:20). Uzzah was struck down for his presumption of trying to stop the ark from falling over, as if he himself was less dirty than the mud on the ground (2 Sam. 6:5-15). Nature itself, in all its glory, trembles in the sight of God. “The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob” (Ps. 114:3-4,7). Many of us might struggle to conquer a hike up even the smallest of hills, and yet the largest mountains quite literally flee from the presence of God, skipping away like a pathetic defenseless lamb. In Revelation 6 we are told that in the end of days the wicked will hide in the caves and cry out to the rocks, begging to be crushed by them, because the wrath of the Lamb is too great to bear.
With just a cursory look at these few examples, it seems evident that this is not the kind of God who you or I should have the audacity to come before. The very idea of coming near to this sort of Being actually sounds quite dangerous and ill-advised.
And it is within this very context that we often fail to consider the command from Scripture: “With confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need: (Heb. 4:16) Christ our Great High Priest sits on the right hand of God as our Advocate, interceding on our behalf (1 Jn 2:1, Rom 8:34), thus making it possible for us to draw near to this otherwise rather terrifying God.
How insane is all of this! Really think about it. The very God to whom angels bow down and whose glory would kill us were we to look on Him, invites us to draw near! Not only are we invited, but we’re actually commanded to come before God. It would be sinful for us to neglect coming into the divine throne room in prayer! And we are to do so with confidence, knowing (as CS Lewis would say) that though this God is not safe, He is indeed good. And in His goodness and grace, He sees in us only the perfect righteousness of His Son.
What a privilege this is, and yet so often we neglect it. The God of the universe longs to commune with His children in prayer, and yet many of us find it to be a chore. In Moses’ time, God’s nearness was one of the things that set them apart from the nations around them. Moses reasons with the people, “What great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon Him?” (Duet. 4:7). The nations around Israel saw and understood what a privilege it was to have a God that was near. Most gods would never humble themselves in such a way. What use do gods have for people? They knew that Israel had something special, to be able to call out to their God and for Him to hear them.
Years later, King David would express a deep appreciation for just how special being near to the Lord truly is.
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).
Despite all the multitude of worldly and spiritual blessings David could have asked for, he is content to plead for only one: That he might dwell in the house of the Lord. In other words, he simply asks to be near to His God. David knew that being near to God was greater than any other comfort he could ever have. He also no doubt knew, just as Moses did, how unique and special of a privilege this really was.
Today, because of Christ’s work, we experience a daily accessibility to God that Israel, during the times of Moses and David, couldn’t have imagined. So pray. Pray without ceasing. Pray because it is a privilege beyond comprehension. You may not have the ear of kings or CEOs or presidents or other influential people, but you have the ear of God Himself. He is near to you, and He commands that you draw near to Him through prayer. Don’t let the days and months and years slip by without clinging to such a magnificent and precious gift. Infinite joy, comfort, and peace are available to you. Only a fool would neglect an opportunity like that.
“The next time you rise to some idea of God, by viewing the starry floor of His magnificent temple above, strive to compel your contemplation to this thought, that the same mighty hand which rolls the stars along, puts liniments around the wounded heart; that the same being who spoke worlds into existence, and now impels those ponderous globes through their orbits, does in His mercy cheer the wounded, and heal the broken in heart.” – C.H. Spurgeon
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