“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...” James 4:8
I believe every person has the relationship with God they desire. If you want a close and meaningful relationship, you have one. If you prefer to be aloof and only act as acquaintances, that is your call. If you want to be a servant, son, daughter, or friend, the desire is the recipe to get you there.
What type of relationship does God want with you and me? In Genesis 3:8, God walked in the garden in the cool of the day and called out to His likeness. Adam and Eve had sinned and were hiding as they heard The Father cry out, “Where are you?” God wanted to be with the man and woman He made. And in Exodus 19:10, the children of Israel were in the desert when The Lord instructed Moses, “Have the people consecrate themselves…I’m coming down on the mountain so they can see Me and hear My voice.” The Lord was looking for Adam and Eve and called out to them. He instructed Moses to prepare His people to come up the mountain so they could be with Him.
When God’s presence descended on the mountain, it shook, there was lightning, and fire. The children of Israel, though they had just been rescued by The Lord, chose not to trust Him at that time. Instead, in Exodus 20:18, “…they trembled and stayed at a distance.” And in Exodus 20:21, “They remained at a distance.” It’s so sad because earlier, in Exodus 19:6, The Lord had just told them He wanted them to be a Kingdom of Priests. Priests go into God’s presence and abide with Him. The Lord, God, wants His people to dwell, or live close to Him.
In Deuteronomy 32:51-52, the children of Israel couldn’t find water; this is the famous story of Moses striking the rock instead of speaking to it as The Lord commanded. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “Because you didn’t uphold My holiness before the Children of Israel…You will see the land (the promised land) only from a distance.” When we refuse to obey The Lord and stay at a distance, on our terms, I believe it limits our ability to live in the promises The Lord would love to give us. We disqualify ourselves from things others have from The Lord by the distance we choose to keep from God. Of course, The Lord is faithful to forgive when we repent and return to His ways. We don’t have to stay at a distance – that’s our choice.
Are you close to God? He wants to be close to you.
