Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) says “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
I was chatting, the other day, with a lady at church. She was telling me a story about how she went to visit the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada). She went to see the exhibition called The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China's Emperors. She said it’s a fascinating display. Maybe her reaction to it came from the fact that she is a Christian, but she came away from it being amazed at how obvious it is that mankind has always been searching for God.
Oh Lord, Where are You?
Later, I have to say the more I thought about her comments, the more I realized how right she is. Mankind was separated from God with the first sin by Adam, and we’ve been lost and searching for Him ever since. We were never meant to live away from God. We were made to exist with Him to love and be loved. Life just isn’t going to function properly without that relationship.
You Can Find Him
Thankfully, because of the sacrifice Christ did for us on the cross, that separation is temporary. We are able to have that missing relationship with Him after all. The problem lies with the fact that even though God assures us that He’s with us all the time, we haven’t stopped searching because we are not with Him physically anymore like Adam and Eve were in the garden.
We need to ask God to help us realize that He is indeed with us. He will never leave us and He will never change. The fact is that it’s not God who is doing the withdrawing. It is us. We are trying to run our own lives under the mistaken idea that God is not there anymore. We wander through the long winding roads and paths of life that are leading us on an unnecessary journey through valleys and over mountains. We are trusting our own feelings and emotions when we should be looking to God for guidance.
Lay It At the Foot of the Cross
So what do we do to get closer to God? We have to spend more time communicating with Him through prayer and time studying His Word. A true relationship with Jesus is vital. We have to lay our burdens at the foot of the cross. As we grow closer to Jesus, our relationship with Him will grow stronger, our faith will grow, and we will rejoice in His awesome grace and mercy. The closer you get to Him, the more He will indeed reveal Himself to you.
Why don’t you talk to Him today. Get out your Bible and read just one chapter every day. It will help you a great deal, I assure you. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) says “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Here’s a Psalm that I often read when I’m feeling far from God. I’m sure it will help you too.
Psalm 139 (NIV)
1 You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Let’s Pray
Dear God ~~ Wonderful, loving Father, even though it’s hard for us to see sometimes You are always there with us. You know us better than we know ourselves. You know what’s best for us. Thank You for never leaving me or giving up on me. Please help me see myself the way you see me. I pray in Jesus name, AMEN
Now It’s Your Turn
Thoughts? Questions? Want to share your story? Ask for prayer? Please share in the comments section.
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