A few months ago, a friend asked: “How can you make the focus of your life something you can’t see, touch, or experience?”

In other words, how can we be close to God and center our lives around Him when He sometimes seems so out of reach?

God has provided amazing promises in response to these questions:

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you. (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

            Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)

If we want to see, touch, or experience God, we can simply turn toward Him and invite Him into our lives; when we do that, God is right there, ready to embrace us.

Many people – whether non-Christian or Christian – find all sorts of reasons to keep God at a distance. Last year, I had a dream that illustrated this point among Christians:

Several Christians were chatting in the truck bed of a pickup truck when one of them made a comment about having Jesus with them at all times. Others responded something to the effect of, “I’m alright with Jesus coming with us, as long as He stays ten feet behind.” They felt okay having Jesus in the vicinity but were not okay with Jesus riding in the same pickup truck.

What causes you to keep your distance from Jesus, from God? Perhaps:

• Pride that you don’t need a Savior
• Assumption that you’re too busy to make time for God
• Shame that you’re not worthy of interacting with a loving God
• Hurt from a prayer not being answered the way you wanted it to be
• Fear of being disappointed by something you hoped for

These perspectives about keeping God at bay contrast significantly with the way people followed Jesus as recorded in the Bible.

…the crowd was pressing in on Him to hear the word of God… (Luke 5:1)

[Zacchaeus] was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd, he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:3-5)

As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:37-38)

Even though Jesus ascended to heaven and is no longer on earth in the flesh, these verses illustrate three ways that we can draw near to God today: (1) read/listen to God’s words (i.e., the Bible), (2) speak with God, and (3) express worship towards God.

1.Read/Listen to God’s Words

The crowd was so eager to hear God’s words that they pressed in on Jesus.

Have you ever seen a crowd pressing in on a celebrity? At a major track meet, the Penn Relays, I saw the legendary Allyson Felix passing by outside the stadium. Rather, I saw the crowd before I saw her. The crowd (myself included) was eager to see this track star, and I’d imagine the media was more than ready to hear if she would make a statement.

How much more would we experience God at work in our lives if we had a similar excitement towards seeking God’s words, through Bible-reading and hearing Bible-based preaching at church?

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

God’s words give us direction in life. These words guide us to the truth. Truth that silences the lies we tell ourselves. Truth that increases our confidence. Truth that allows us to encourage others. Truth that gives us eternal hope. Truth that draws us near to God.

Action: Choose a Bible verse to memorize over the next week. (If you have trouble choosing a verse, try one of the verses included in this piece.)

2. Speak with God

Zacchaeus’ determination to see Jesus caused Jesus to call Zacchaeus by name from among the crowd; Jesus then offered to hang out and converse with Zacchaeus and his family.

Today, God offers us the same opportunity to converse with Him through prayer. We get to know God more through the process of speaking to Him, listening to Him, and waiting on Him.

While we may not audibly hear God speaking, best believe He does engage in two-way dialogue. God is really thoughtful, and His responses are not always immediate. But He does respond. God’s answers may come in a different format for you than for your friend, but He won’t leave either of you hanging.

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1)

Action: Write out a prayer to God (e.g., in a journal, on your phone, or on any piece of paper you can find). Hold on to the prayer you have written and repeat it to God each day, with faith that He will respond.

3. Express Worship Towards God

The crowd worshipped Jesus through their words of praise and adoration. They proclaimed who Jesus is (King) and what He offers (peace).

I wouldn’t be surprised if some people in the crowd didn’t just speak these words of praise, but added a beat and sang praises to Jesus. Think about your favorite song and how you feel when you hear it. How do you feel when you belt the lyrics? There’s something about music that elicits an emotional and psychological reaction deep within us.

Moreover, there’s something about listening to and singing words that express worship towards God that has the power to invite God nearer. Many can attest that some of the most intimate moments they’ve had with God have been during times of melodious worship poured out to God.

Music that praises God has the power to declare truths that penetrate more deeply than words simply spoken.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound…Praise Him with tambourine and dance…Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:2-6)

Action: Choose one song that expresses worship to God, and sing it aloud to God. (If you need somewhere to start, look up songs by artists such as William McDowell, CeCe Winans, or Matt Gilman – among the many other excellent musicians who worship God through song.)

God draws near to us when we draw near to Him through the Bible, prayer, and worship. Yet, we don’t have to do all the work. In fact, all of our efforts to seek God would be in vain if He didn’t seek us first. As Jesus told Zacchaeus, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Our seeking God is a response to what He has already done to enable us to have a relationship with Him. Though our sins separated us from God, God allowed us to experience a restored relationship with Him. How? God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on a cross; God then raised Jesus from the dead to demonstrate victory over the penalty for our sins. That is victory over eternal death and separation from God.

When we take steps to draw near to God, we realize the implications that God’s act of love has for our lives.  

When we draw near to God, we see Him change our hearts.

When we commune with God, He touches our lives. We, in turn, touch the lives of other people made in God’s image.

And when we travel through life with God – when we allow Him to join us in the pickup truck – we experience His never-ending, abundant love.

God is love. This love, this God, offers peace, hope, and victory for our lives.

Will you let God ride with you?

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To connect with the author visit: https://about.me/alishareginal