Drawing Near

This is the second post in an eight-part series looking at the rhythm of going to ‘a quiet place.’ I hope and pray it’s a blessing for your life in Christ!

A recurring theme.

There’s this recurring theme throughout the Scriptures of ‘drawing near’ to God. It’s a call to come close, followed by a promise that God will be near in return. Here’s a few examples;

‘Draw near to God and he will draw near to you’ - James 4:8

‘The LORD is near to all who call on him’ - Psalm 145:18

‘Return to me, and I will return to you’ - Malachi 3:7

It’s not about earning God’s nearness, but these verses show it requires some effort and initiative on our part too. It’s a two-way relationship.

The truth is...

Sometimes we wonder why God feels distant, or why we feel flat in our faith.

The truth is, God isn’t distant from us—we’re often distant from him. 

Yeah, there’s times when it might feel like there’s distance even when we’re trying to draw close to God. That’s hard, and I feel you at times.

But often it’s more about our absence than his. And that shouldn’t surprise us when everything around us conditions us to ignore God instead of noticing his grace at work.

Consider Jesus.

This is where the details of the life of Jesus are so illuminating when we pay attention to them. In the gospel of Luke there’s nine recorded times that Jesus goes to the ‘eremos’—a quiet, isolated place.

Think about that for a moment—even Jesus needed time alone and away from the regular pressures of daily life to draw close to his father. He didn’t assume nearness or take it for granted.

What makes us think we could manage without doing the same?

Make time, remember grace.

Let’s get practical. How do we take this practice from the life of Jesus and apply it in our own lives?

Well, Jesus made time to draw close to his Father and be in a quiet place away from all distractions. You might like to start by making time in your schedule—say twenty minutes one day a week—and defending that time from interruptions.

Don’t feel the need to have an agenda, just space to stop and be still. A place away from the noise—only you and God—to slow down, listen to your longings, and direct your life toward God.

And in all that, remember grace. It’s unnatural for us to be silent and still. It might even be jarring or uncomfortable—so allow yourself time to sit and be with God in prayer, just like Jesus.