Chapter 5
Approaching God
Just think of it! What could possibly
be more thrilling? You are about to become a close friend of The Holy God of the
Universe, The King of Kings, The Lord of Lords!
Can you imagine what it would have
been like to be a friend of David, King of Israel, back in the days when that
little country was one of the greatest nations on earth? Or, how would you have
liked to be a friend of King Solomon, David's son, whose wisdom and wealth were
the marvel of his day? Possibly you would rather have been a friend of the
apostles Paul or Peter. I can imagine that, even today, there are those persons
that you would, so to speak, give anything to know.
I remember how thrilling it was to be
close, proximity wise, to both presidents Johnson and Ford. But, the idea of
being close friends, with people of that importance, is almost beyond our mental
grasp, isn't it?
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Comprehend it, Reader! If your life
is prepared, you are about to not only meet, but become a very good friend of
the eternal God. There never was, there is not now nor will there ever be,
anyone to compare to Him! Regrettably, words are completely inadequate to
describe Him, but, since words are all that we have, let's consider some of
them:
He is the creator of the universe;
He is all wise, all knowing, everywhere present, kind and gentle; He so often
does not punish us as we deserve (He is merciful), but instead, He gives us
many blessings that we do not deserve (He is gracious), He endures our
rebellious spirits so patiently (He is long-suffering); He is slow to get
angry. He enters into our emotional experiences, and He feels pity for us; He
remembers that He made us from dust (He is compassionate).
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He loves us in a completely
selfless way. He has never sinned. He is totally perfect. He is
"just". He is the righteous judge who will pass sentence on the life
of every person who has ever lived. He has unimpaired innocence and proven
virtue, He is worthy of worship. He has, does and will, live forever (He is
eternal). He is The Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace.
How indescribably great God is, and
yet, He will not only allow us to know Him, He looks forward to knowing us! Even
though He is so awesome and holy, those who know Him are invited to come boldly
into His presence. We must not take this privilege for granted, and, God help us
to never approach Him with a trite spirit. Before Jesus was crucified, people
died if they came into God's presence without being spiritually prepared. Since
Jesus was willing to die in our place, we no longer need to fear that
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we might die when we come to Him.
However, those who approach God flippantly will most certainly die spiritually.
To such persons He will not reveal Himself.
Proverbs, Chapter one, the last part
of verse twenty eight, says,
" .....They will look for me,
but will not find me." (NIV)
Glory to God! That verse does not
pertain to those who love Him.
When you approach God and are
welcomed by Him, you will be overwhelmed by His hospitality. There has never
been a more gracious host. How comfortable He makes you feel, how honored. There
you are, visiting happily with your creator, and He lavishes you with loving
attention in ways too wonderful to describe. Your joy is so great that you
nearly burst! Can you picture it? Oh, how wonderful He is! How kind! How Gentle!
How
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selfless, and sensitive to our needs!
How can I ever describe the pleasure of being with Him? I want to stay forever
in His presence.
It seems so strange to me that some
people, who profess to be Christians, never fall in love with God. Still others
take years to develop a love relationship with Him. How can it be that humanity,
as a whole, is so slow to love Him when it was for loving Him that we were
created? That's right! God wanted someone to love Him, and that is precisely why
He made us! He has wooed us ever since we were born!
Have you ever loved someone deeply
who rejected your love? Do you recall how you felt? You hurt so bad, you ached
inside, didn't you? Well, can you imagine how God feels when people reject His
love? How his heart must ache! Oh, that everyone would love Him!
For a moment now, I would like to
discuss with you, in a practical way, how to approach God. I also want to help
you perceive what you will experience.
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You may be wondering, "Where do
I go to meet God, and what shall I say to Him? It probably seems there is no end
to your questions.
First of all, I would suggest that
you find a place where you and God can be alone. He is present everywhere, so,
He can meet with you any place that you might choose. The reason I suggest being
alone is that you might be more at ease if you were someplace where there was no
one around to make you nervous. Furthermore, it has often seemed to me that God
is more willing to respond to me when I am alone.
Assuming you are now ready to
approach God, begin simply by talking to Him. You may tell Him anything you want
to. Just remember, whenever you desire someone to respond to you, you need to be
considerate and kind to them. Others enjoy being appreciated just like you do,
and, God is the same. He would be happy to hear that you love Him. He will
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also be pleased to have you worship
Him. He is so totally worthy.
Always be confident that God is
interested in everything that concerns you. But, be careful to not be selfish in
your conversation. Give Him opportunity to reply to your thoughts and to tell
you things that He wants you to know. Most of all, be forever conscious of the
fact, He is primarily interested in your love.
As to whether you speak audibly or in
your mind, it doesn't matter to God. Obviously, when you are with others, your
conversation with Him will be through your mind.
One of the neat aspects of knowing
God is that we can be with Him all the time. And, regardless of who else might
be in our company, we can still talk with Him mentally without being rude to the
others. It is important to keep Him in our conversation whenever possible. When
God speaks, you will need to listen very carefully, especially
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at first, because you are not
accustomed to someone speaking to you in your mind. His voice is very soft.
Frankly, I have sometimes asked Him, "Please, say it again", because I
haven't heard what He said. However, at other times, He has spoken very
directly, and it was easy to hear Him. More than likely, your experience will be
the same.
You should ask God to become as real
to you as the people you live and work with are. You can count on it, He will!
He is eager to accommodate your request, if you are seeking
Him with all your heart and with
all your soul.
Glory to His name! What a thrill it
is to approach The King of Kings, The Lord of Lords, The God of the Universe!
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