Just recently a friend of mine mentioned how communication with his sons had become for the most part one way and how that hurt. It dawned upon him and all of us when he continued to expound that we sometimes and frequently do the same with daily devotions. Also, how God must feel when we neglect to spend time with Him.
Years ago I remember a faithful pastor asking a group of us if we had all set time apart each day in the last week to be with the Lord. Thankfully, everyone was honest and none of us tried to protest that we had, or endeavoured to offer excuses why we had not. He helpfully used that to point us towards the vital need for fellowship (Hebrews 11:24-25) and to set aside time to draw near to the Lord.
Sometimes we like to have a conversation with a trusted friend in an effort to diagnose and formulate the fundamental correctives needed to improve society. We lay out our manifesto sometimes on the spot! We strangely enjoy our humble, often humoured, heartfelt attempts as we ‘put the world to rights’; in the space of half an hour and even feel better for it. Then we quietly resolve to do something constructive to benefit the world starting out from our immediate vicinity.
Why do we do this peculiar yet familiar practise? Are we not seeking meaningful interaction with others we care about and whose thoughts we value? Do we not feel encouraged and strengthened after our philosophical timeout? Are not those timeouts with other believers all the more encouraging? Could it be that we
are designed by our Creator to meet with Him regularly and to mediate on His word daily, to take everything to the Lord in prayer and to draw near to Him?
We have everything to gain from
drawing near to the Lord though most importantly of all that the Lord should draw near to us. When we consider who the Lord is and the immensity of what He has done and what He will continue to do because of who He is; any excuse we can contrive to justify ourselves for not doing so, pales into oblivion. We recognise that to do so is nothing more or nothing less than carnal reasoning. Some of us will be less busy during the lockdown and others more intensely occupied with needful duties. But that is not the point. Daniel prayed thrice daily in Babylon when he was the third governor in the whole empire.
Enjoying fellowship with the Lord is a joy and privilege and has inestimable benefits. Every time we read God’s Word, that is God communicating His truth to us. Sometimes the words seem to jump off the page and we comprehend something of who the Lord is, His ways and how we can respond to the revelation of Jesus our Messiah and everything else has certain value but is secondary. Drawing near to the Lord is an act of love that rejoices in the truth and has the potential to affect everything we do for the better and for God’s glory.
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