December 4th, 2025
How close do you want to be to God?
This question may seem odd to those whose view of God is more of an ideology than a person. For many, God is nothing more than a nice thought or a nostalgic sentiment. False religion will limit your view of God to a benevolent being who once created worlds and now waits contentedly in heaven to receive everyone when they die. Lukewarm Christianity will limit your view of God to a far-off ruler that requires weekly worship but doesn’t care much about your day-to-day life.
Anything less than an encounter with the God who created the universe will leave you with an emptiness you will never be able to fill. God is not a far-off being and He cares to be intimately involved with every aspect of our lives. He knows even the hairs on our head! He knows when one sparrow falls out of the sky (Matthew 10:29-31). How much more does He care about you!
James 4:8 says,
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
We are made to draw near to the One who gave us life. Many are waiting for God to prove Himself to them. However, God has already traversed eternity, sparing absolutely nothing to bridge every gap between His heart and yours. He sent Jesus, His only Son, in the most radical act of love the world has ever known. Jesus chose obedience unto death on the cross, for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). The joy set before Him was the promise of you.
How close do you want to be to God?
You may not realize how much of a choice you have, but the very throne room of heaven is wide open for every blood washed child of God.
Hebrews 4:16 says,
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.”
This is not an opportunity to be taken lightly. We can walk confidently into God’s presence, not because we are worthy, but because Jesus shed His blood so we can share in His righteousness!
Hebrews 10:14, 19-22 says,
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy…Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
In this scripture, we again see the verbiage urging us to draw near. If God feels distant, it’s not because He’s far away. He is waiting for you to take a step toward Him. He waits to pour His love into your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). He waits to speak to you as a friend speaks to a friend!
We see this clearly in the book of Exodus. After the Israelite nation had been liberated from Egyptian enslavement by the mighty hand of God through Moses and Aaron, they were led through the Red Sea into the wilderness. They saw miracle after miracle and one of these was the very presence of God that led them on their journey.
Exodus 13:21-22 says,
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”
It doesn’t say that God sent an angel before them or that it was a cloud of dust. It says that the Lord Himself went before them, as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. Every Israelite knew their God was with them. They physically saw His glory in the form of a cloud and fire, resting on the tabernacle and leading them forward. The pillar did not depart from before the people. However, just because their God was ever-present, it did not mean they chose to draw near to Him. The vast majority of them did not draw near to Him, and at every turn grumbled against God and Moses. They grumbled about food, water, crying that He had brought them out to die in the wilderness. In the face of such miraculous demonstrations of God’s power, how could they still doubt Him?
It is because faith is a product of intimacy, not miracles. Miracles may build faith for a moment or a season, but faithfulness in character and devotion to God is only established in relationship with Him. Exodus 33:9-11 shows us a piece of this truth. It says:
“When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.”
See, Joshua wasn’t satisfied with knowing God was among them. He wasn’t satisfied with seeing Moses speak to God face to face. He wanted to know God himself. We see Joshua’s character demonstrated in his desperation to be in God’s presence. When his leader, Moses, returned to the camp after speaking with God, Joshua stayed. We already read that God’s presence, the pillar of cloud and fire, would not depart from the people, but that did not produce a people of faithfulness. However, Joshua chose not to depart from God’s presence, and that did produce faithfulness. Joshua was one of only two men out of thousands who would see the Promised Land while the rest of their generation died in the wilderness. Joshua would then follow in Moses’ footsteps, leading the Israelite people into God’s promises.
I believe what made Joshua different—his character, bravery, faith, and unwavering devotion to God—are all rooted in that one, small verse. Joshua would not depart from the tent. See, God is everywhere and knows everything, just as He was with all of the Israelite people in the wilderness, His presence is over all that He has made. However, there is an intimate, relational, glorious, heavy presence, reserved for those who accept the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ and choose to draw near. He is not a far-off being, but a warm, loving, gracious, and merciful Father. He sent Jesus to destroy all the works of the enemy—every oppressive yoke and destructive sickness (1 John 3:8). He waits for you. So I ask again, as I have been asking myself this week:
How close do you want to be to God?
This question may seem odd to those whose view of God is more of an ideology than a person. For many, God is nothing more than a nice thought or a nostalgic sentiment. False religion will limit your view of God to a benevolent being who once created worlds and now waits contentedly in heaven to receive everyone when they die. Lukewarm Christianity will limit your view of God to a far-off ruler that requires weekly worship but doesn’t care much about your day-to-day life.
Anything less than an encounter with the God who created the universe will leave you with an emptiness you will never be able to fill. God is not a far-off being and He cares to be intimately involved with every aspect of our lives. He knows even the hairs on our head! He knows when one sparrow falls out of the sky (Matthew 10:29-31). How much more does He care about you!
James 4:8 says,
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
We are made to draw near to the One who gave us life. Many are waiting for God to prove Himself to them. However, God has already traversed eternity, sparing absolutely nothing to bridge every gap between His heart and yours. He sent Jesus, His only Son, in the most radical act of love the world has ever known. Jesus chose obedience unto death on the cross, for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). The joy set before Him was the promise of you.
How close do you want to be to God?
You may not realize how much of a choice you have, but the very throne room of heaven is wide open for every blood washed child of God.
Hebrews 4:16 says,
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.”
This is not an opportunity to be taken lightly. We can walk confidently into God’s presence, not because we are worthy, but because Jesus shed His blood so we can share in His righteousness!
Hebrews 10:14, 19-22 says,
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy…Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
In this scripture, we again see the verbiage urging us to draw near. If God feels distant, it’s not because He’s far away. He is waiting for you to take a step toward Him. He waits to pour His love into your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). He waits to speak to you as a friend speaks to a friend!
We see this clearly in the book of Exodus. After the Israelite nation had been liberated from Egyptian enslavement by the mighty hand of God through Moses and Aaron, they were led through the Red Sea into the wilderness. They saw miracle after miracle and one of these was the very presence of God that led them on their journey.
Exodus 13:21-22 says,
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”
It doesn’t say that God sent an angel before them or that it was a cloud of dust. It says that the Lord Himself went before them, as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. Every Israelite knew their God was with them. They physically saw His glory in the form of a cloud and fire, resting on the tabernacle and leading them forward. The pillar did not depart from before the people. However, just because their God was ever-present, it did not mean they chose to draw near to Him. The vast majority of them did not draw near to Him, and at every turn grumbled against God and Moses. They grumbled about food, water, crying that He had brought them out to die in the wilderness. In the face of such miraculous demonstrations of God’s power, how could they still doubt Him?
It is because faith is a product of intimacy, not miracles. Miracles may build faith for a moment or a season, but faithfulness in character and devotion to God is only established in relationship with Him. Exodus 33:9-11 shows us a piece of this truth. It says:
“When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.”
See, Joshua wasn’t satisfied with knowing God was among them. He wasn’t satisfied with seeing Moses speak to God face to face. He wanted to know God himself. We see Joshua’s character demonstrated in his desperation to be in God’s presence. When his leader, Moses, returned to the camp after speaking with God, Joshua stayed. We already read that God’s presence, the pillar of cloud and fire, would not depart from the people, but that did not produce a people of faithfulness. However, Joshua chose not to depart from God’s presence, and that did produce faithfulness. Joshua was one of only two men out of thousands who would see the Promised Land while the rest of their generation died in the wilderness. Joshua would then follow in Moses’ footsteps, leading the Israelite people into God’s promises.
I believe what made Joshua different—his character, bravery, faith, and unwavering devotion to God—are all rooted in that one, small verse. Joshua would not depart from the tent. See, God is everywhere and knows everything, just as He was with all of the Israelite people in the wilderness, His presence is over all that He has made. However, there is an intimate, relational, glorious, heavy presence, reserved for those who accept the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ and choose to draw near. He is not a far-off being, but a warm, loving, gracious, and merciful Father. He sent Jesus to destroy all the works of the enemy—every oppressive yoke and destructive sickness (1 John 3:8). He waits for you. So I ask again, as I have been asking myself this week:
How close do you want to be to God?
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