Draw Nearer to God in 2007
" Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" James 4:8 (New King James Version)
In 2007, our goal should be clear: to know God better by drawing near to Him. How do we draw near to God? We can find direction in the word "draw" itself. The letter D stands for delight. According to Psalm 37:4, we are to delight ourselves in the Lord.
Some Christians are overly concerned about all that is going on in the world right now. By always talking about war, natural disasters, economic conditions, gas prices, and so forth, these Christians are, in a sense, delighting in the problem. If you listened to their constant bad news, you could quickly become distraught yourself. But if you are living close to God and delighting in Him, you know you are protected amidst the problems of this world.
We delight in the Lord by spending time with Him on a daily basis - by reading the Word and by praying in the Holy Spirit and building ourselves up "on our most holy faith" (Jude 20), and by speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19). The nearer we draw to God, the bigger He becomes in our sight. And the bigger God becomes to us, the smaller the problems of this world seem.
The second letter in the word "draw" is R, for rely. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Part of drawing near to God involves relying on HIm--trusting Him to take care of you.
Many Christians try to be self-sufficient. When they have a problem, they try to figure their own way out. For example, if they need finances, they think of family members or friends they can borrow money from. But instead of trusting in our own strength and wisdom, we should rely upon God and trust in Him to solve our problems.
Draw near to God and rely on Him for your strenth. Rely on the Spirit of God within you. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (Romans 8:11). He will quicken your mortal body, give you wisdom, bring you peace, comfort you in times of trouble, and help you in every situation!
The third letter in the word "draw" is A, for achieve. Achieve means "to attain a desired end or aim; to become successful." To become successful in God, we must do more than just sit on a pew after getting saved. We need to go to work doing whatever God leads us to do. As we follow God's plan for our life, whatever we put our hand to do will prosper (Psalm 1:3).
Remember the New Testament parable of the talents? Don't hide your talent - do something with it! Become as qualified as you can in the natural, and depend on the Holy Spirit for everything else. You can achieve things, even when it doesn't seem as though you should be able to achieve them. Philippians 4:13 says you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you!
The final letter in the word "draw" is W, which stands for wait. Psalm 40:1 says " I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." Sometimes we are so impatient. We want everything yesterday! But we fail to wait upon the Lord when we demand that everything happen when we want it to happen and in our appointed time.
Isaiah 40:31 tells us that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. God's timing is always perfect. He is never late, and He is never too early. He may not act according to our schedule, but He is always right on time.
Do you need to make adjustments in some areas in order to draw nearer to God? I pray the Holy Spirit will minister to you in a special way and give you the wisdom, knowledge, and guidance you need to draw nearer to God in this new year.
May 2007 be your best year yet as you strive to know Him better!
