Words of Worth

Draw a Little Closer

April 7, 2011

Do you have someone in your life you love to be “near”? Someone whose presence is such a delight to you that when sitting near them, you want to scoot just a little bit closer? When I was a little girl, my grandmother was that person for me. I just couldn’t get close enough to her. She was like a magnet for my heart and I loved her fiercely. Sometimes she would ease down onto the couch and say, “Come over here and sit by me for a while.” Oh! There was never a sweeter invitation to my ears. Happy as a clam, I would snuggle next to her and sort of melt into her side and after all these years the scent of Gloria Vanderbilt perfume still sends me spiraling back in time.

You would never DRAW NEAR to someone who scared or threatened you.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites dared not DRAW NEAR to God. In Exodus 20:18 when God was thundering on Mount Sinai, the people “trembled and stood at a distance.” They even asked Moses to make God stop speaking because they were so afraid.

How different now that Jesus has come.

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all as we are, and yet without sin. 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.” Hebrews 4:15-16

I could DRAW NEAR to my grandmother with complete confidence. I knew in her arms I would find strength and love. With the Lord, I find grace and mercy and most days I am in dire need of both.

But is it possible to DRAW NEAR without truly DRAW-ing NEAR? Sadly, the answer is yes and God gives a sobering example in Isaiah 29:13.

Because this people DRAW NEAR with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me
And their reverence of Me consists of tradition learned by rote.

These people drew near but only with their words and God called it “lip service”. That is one kind of service that is surely displeasing to Him. In following with our theme of four letter words, we could say this was IDLE CHAT with God and He is not interested. By the way, Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 15:8. He’s not attracted to IDLE CHAT either.

When you DRAW NEAR to that special someone in your life, you want every single moment to count. You want every word to matter and you don’t want to waste it on IDLE CHAT. What about when you DRAW NEAR to God? Are you following a rote tradition or do you anticipate being in His presence? Are you giving Him lip service or drawing near with a heart full of confidence to find help in your time of need?

Can you say with the Psalmist, “It is good for me to DRAW NEAR to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all His works.” Psalm 73:28

Take some time now to DRAW NEAR without any IDLE CHAT. Be still in His presence.