Drawing near to God in 2013

My wife and I live in a three bedroom home and often we find ourselves at opposite ends of it. If one of us tries to talk to the other it’s very hard to understand what we’re saying. We can hear each other, but cannot understand what is being said. (Of course she says I suffer from that sometimes when we’re in the same room, but that’s another story).

There are times when we’re so far from God, the same thing occurs. We talk to God, telling Him what we want of Him, but if we’re not close to Him, He isn’t going to listen to what we ask for. We wait for an answer, but one never comes. This can lead to people claiming God doesn’t exist since we did not get an answer. I’ve heard more than one person say they no longer pray because it’s pointless.

I think there are two ways to look at this. First, if you’re a Christian and you’re discouraged about unanswered prayers, perhaps you should reexamine your relationship with God. If you have drifted away from Him, chances are He hears your prayers as clear as He always did, but there’s a wedge of some sort between the two of you. Maybe you’re not as faithful at going to church, or like my wife and I recently, you don’t devote time to Him anymore. You no longer study His Word, or sit quietly listening for His voice.  If an old friend suddenly acts differently towards you, from then on you hear what he or she says to you, but you don’t really listen because you feel you’re not as close as you once were.

The second way to look at this is if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, how can you expect God to listen to any thing you say? Many want a hotline to God’s ear in times of trouble, but they haven’t received His Son. Like the old saying, “Don’t put the cart before the horse”, you can’t ask anything of God before you ask it of His Son.

As I said earlier, my wife Sheryl and I had gotten away from God and had stopped our daily devotions. Once the new year started though, we once again made room for God in our daily lives and have received several blessings already. Whether you’re a Christian or someone who needs to accept Jesus, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

I cannot think of a better resolution than to resolve to draw near to God in 2013. After all, God’s own Word says, “I will not leave you, nor forsake you.”