Have you ever wanted to feel closer to God? Ultimately that’s what everyone seeks, even if we obliviously look to something else to fill that void. People need love, and God is love. People need hope, and God is called the God of hope. Many don’t know that the peace they seek is a Person. But those who genuinely know God naturally and consciously want to feel close to Him. We like to feel close to those we love and whose company we genuinely enjoy.
Here’s a provocative, if not original, thought. You’re as close to God as you want to be. What? Many might protest, “I want to be closer to God!”
We might say the same thing about some of our less-than-ideal human relationships. But our words and actions aim to maintain a safe distance (Danny Silk’s Keep Your Love On is a great read on these relational dichotomies.) The root of such contradiction generally stems from past hurts and disappointments. Fear encourages distance and resists the closeness love would naturally create.
Consider all God did to set the people of Israel free from slavery. He proved His commitment without question, yet they didn’t want to get anywhere near Him, telling Moses to handle all communication with God (Exodus 20). Why? They were afraid.
Many of us don’t approach God for the same reason. We don’t know His true nature because we were served a distorted, false gospel that focuses on our performance, leaving us in condemnation. We don’t realize that Jesus dealt with our sin and made the way for us to confidently approach God at any time (Hebrews 4:16).
Another barrier to intimacy is distraction. Some of us genuinely love God but don’t invest in the relationship because we are pulled in so many other directions, or we give ourselves instead to competing interests. Unlike the apostle Paul’s focus in Philippians 3:13-14–“One thing I do”–instead it’s, “Twenty-three things I do.” These may fall into any of the cares or pursuits mentioned in Mark 4:19.
The last reason for a lack of intimacy with God is complacency. God just doesn’t rank that high on the priority list. We might spend hours to watch a movie or football game without a second thought, but suggest spending significant time alone with God, and we protest. Instead, we let our pastor talk to God and tell us what He said.
Consider the contrasting determination of someone God called a man after His own heart:
Surely I will not enter my house,
Nor lie on my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
Until I find a place for the LORD,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob (Psalm 132:3-5).
All through his Psalms we see David loved God and His Word. He had intimacy with God because he wanted it. David wanted to build God a temple, but WE are now God’s temple (I Corinthians 6:19). And that closeness can be ours when we take the time make a place for Him in our lives.
