Draw Near

 Abraham had many encounters with God. He is one of the more famous characters in the Bible. I bet there is one encounter you have not thought about in awhile. An encounter where Abraham drew near to God. He came closer approaching God. You read about that encounter in Genesis 18:16-33. Read carefully or you might just miss it.

Do we desire to draw nearer to God? God revealed something very unsettling to Abraham. Something so startling it motivated Abraham to intercede fervently. 

Do we really want God to reveal His intentions? For our lives, our families, our churches and our country? They say ignorance is bliss. Sometimes it is better not knowing. Information and truth can upset the apple cart. Not knowing can be a blessing. It can also be a curse. To hear and receive truth as warnings to repent and return to the Lord are vital to our survival. Often these warnings are both ignored and flat out rejected. 

Do we dare draw near? We are commanded to do so.

Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB)
¹⁵  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
¹⁶  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 James 4:7-8 (NASB)

⁷  Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
⁸  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Draw near to God. Come closer to Him. Approach Him more frequently. He has given us permission through the blood of Jesus to come before the throne of grace with confidence. He invites us to draw near to find help and grace in our times of need. 

That is not all. When we make the effort to draw near to Him, He draws closer to us. Imagine the implications in prayer, private devotions and worship. God is looking to encounter His people as they seek Him and desire to come closer. He is coming toward us faster than we ever approach Him. 

When we do come closer and God comes to meet us, He will reveal sin. He will demand repentance. Some people prefer their sin over having closer communion with their Creator. Nor do they want God to ask them to do something. They refuse to accept His assignments by ignoring Him. They attend religious gatherings but worship from afar. They have deaf ears and petrified hearts. 

God is looking for the curious people who want to investigate Him further. He is looking for those who relentlessly pursue Him. God desires to draw near to those who are following hard after Him. If yo feel distant from God, cold, indifferent, apathetic, lukewarm, the problem could be you are not drawing near. 

What is it that God revealed to Abraham in Genesis 18:16-33? That the sin of Sodom had reached Him and judgment was near. Abraham immediately started asking God to preserve the city if there were 50 righteous. Eventually he prayed for God to spare the city if there were only 10 righteous in it. Most of us know the rest of the story. A very sad indictment on Sodom. 

We must draw near. We may not understand the full implications of what that will mean. Some person will draw near and God will call them to missions like He did with a young lady named Jackie Pullinger. Jackie has served in Hong Kong for over 50 years. Others will draw near, and God will share a burden with them they must carry in prayer. He will call them to intercede like He did with Rees Howells. Some might be convicted of some secret sin and called to repentance. He has done that with many. Sickening lukewarmness may be identified and called out. God draws near to His people to call them to holiness. [I Pet 1:15-16]

We must draw near in private devotions. Like the man I spoke to yesterday who is voraciously reading the Bible having completed the books of James, I Peter and is now working his way through Ecclesiastes and Hebrews all in less than two weeks. He is hungry to draw near to God. We must draw near in corporate worship so that we have real encounters with the living God and experience Him in fresh ways. The enthusiasm will spread like we experienced at Spring Creek this past Sunday morning. 

We must expend our energy in drawing near to Him. There is no other pursuit that compares. You will get to know God as you draw increasingly nearer to Him. You will not be able to remain the same. Maybe that is what scares people away. It should be what compels us to draw nearer. So that He transforms us for His purposes and glory.  Make it your aim to draw nearer, to grow closer, to follow hard after Him. He is what we need most. He desires to draw nearer to us more than we will ever desire to draw nearer to Him. 

Sleepless Nights

 For the second night in a row I cannot sleep. The clock is nearing the 1:30 am mark as I type this. Last night I did not go to sleep until after 2:00 am. I know a person who struggles with insomnia. It is miserable to need sleep but be able to find it. God designed us to need sleep. We cannot function without it. I believe it is just one more reminder God built into our lives to remind us we are not almighty. That is reserved for Him. 

Sleepless nights can be dangerous. Temptations abound. In the dark shadows of the night, sin crouches at the door. Some television programming turns really raunchy in the night. Sexual perversion is promoted. Satanic agendas can fill the heart and mind. 

People may not be able to help the fact that they cannot sleep. They can help what they choose to do with that time. I can't sleep because I went to bed at 6:30 pm earlier tonight and awakened around 10:30 pm. Rather than toss and turn I got up so as not to disturb Brenda. 

There is a story about a rich and powerful man who could not sleep one night. He walked outside to get some fresh air from his pent house view. From his high perch, he saw a drop dead gorgeous woman walking around nude in the privacy of her residence below. That glance turned into a gaze. The gaze burned lustful desires. That tycoon did not stop with the lustful thoughts. He acted on them, even though he was married and had children. He wielded his power and connections to have a one night fling with that attractive woman. She was an all too willing participant even though she was married too. 

You may have already guessed that rich and powerful man was King David. The Bible reports that at a time when kings went out to war David stayed behind. He could not sleep and went to the roof of his palace where he saw Bathsheba taking a bath. He desired her, even though he had multiple wives and concubines. He gave into sexual temptation for a night of passion and pleasure. That sleepless night cost David more than he could ever imagine. 

You know the story. Bathsheba got pregnant. David tried to cover his tracks and eventually set up her husband to be killed in battle. He eventually married Bathsheba and nobody was the wiser. That is until God revealed the sin to Nathan the prophet. Nathan confronted David. David repented. God spoke the consequences. The sword would never depart from David's own house. A son raped his sister. Another son killed his rapist brother. The murderous son rose up to take the throne from his father causing David to flee. All because of a sleepless night and the decision to give into temptation. 

We must be careful what we do with our sleepless nights. I have chosen to write and watch the Tour De France at the same time. To use the sleepless night productively. To be on guard against the wicked schemes of Satan. Let us resolve to use our sleepless nights productively for the glory of God.