Drawing Near to God

I would like to tell you a dog story, but first I need to set the stage. We live within the city limits of a town that has a leash law. We also have no fence around our back yard. So that is why we keep our family dog on a chain. The chain is very long and allows her to get up on the back patio within easy reach of us when we are out there. Anytime we go out the back door, our dog is there to greet us with a wagging tail and a great happiness to see us. Invariably, she will flop on her back and look expectantly at us for a good belly rub, which she usually gets.

The other evening I was out on the back patio to grill some hamburgers and hotdogs. I lit the charcoal and began to wait for it to be ready to cook over. This particular circumstance is too much for our dog to handle. Not only does she know that I will be cooking something that smells very good to her, I am also standing within ten feet of her, while being completely unreachable. On this occasion, her response was to whine and stare at me, as if to beg for me to come a little closer. I could have ignored her, with the excuse that I was going to be cooking soon, but I knew that I could wash my hands before I actually started handling any food. That is why I came over and sat down on the edge of the patio where our dog could sit down next to me. I was greeted with a shower of affection, which included many many licks and many attempts by the dog to get completely into my lap. After a few minutes, she calmed down a bit and just sat there with me, while I looked at the stars that were beginning to appear in the sky.

It was at that moment that I began to think about my relationship with God in a way that I had not considered before. I thought of how much it bothered my dog to not be able to reach me, no matter how much she wanted to. I thought about how she longed for me to come within reach of her, and how that overrode everything else in her life. I thought about how excited my dog was when she was finally able to be in my presence and it gave me an idea. Though it may sound strange, I told God that I want to have the same kind of desire for being in His presence that my dog has for being in mine. I told Him that I want to be just as excited about being in His presence as my dog has about being in mine.

The Bible makes it clear that the main purpose that Jesus had in dying for us on the cross was so that by taking our punishment, the separation between us and God would be ended. Sin separates us completely from the holy God, but salvation ends that separation that we might be with Him forever more, both here on Earth and in Eternity. The Bible says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18, NKJV). The Bible further explains, saying, "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight..." (Colossians 1:21-22, NKJV). Jesus did everything it takes to end that separation between you and God, but you have to believe in what He did for that separation to end.

Until we have faith in what Jesus Christ did for us, we are all like my dog that is chained in the backyard. Without having faith in Jesus, we are still chained away from God's presence, unable to reach Him no matter what we do to change that. But when you choose to believe in Jesus Christ, you can now come to God and God can now come to you! The Bible declares, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..." (Hebrews 10:19-22a, NKJV). Through faith, you can be as close to God as you want to be, but the choice is yours to make. That's why the Bible says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8a, NKJV)!

I want to draw nearer to God this year and I believe that will only happen if I become as excited about being with Him as my dog is about being with me. I know that He is ready and waiting for me to simply desire and pursue being nearer to Him. That is when He will draw near to me. In fact, maybe today will be the day that He puts me on the leash and takes me for a walk. It may sound strange, but a dog can help you understand what it is to love being with your Master and Lord.

"Dear Lord, help me to draw nearer to You this year. Help me to remember that I should seek Your presence each and every day. I can't make it through life on my own. Thank-you for being with me. Amen."