The following instructions from King David to his son, Solomon, are recorded in 1 Chronicles 28:9, using the Amplified Bible:

NOTE: As I’ve explained about the Amplified Bible before, the words in brackets are inserted to help us better understand the meaning of the original text. I added the italicized words below just for emphasis and hopefully, easier reading.

And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father…

"Know Him." What does that mean? [have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him]

…and serve Him with a blameless heart and a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts. If you seek Him…

"Seek Him." What does that mean? [inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him as your first and vital necessity]

…you will find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever!

I read that verse while doing a Bible study a few weeks ago. It resonated with me, and I made a note of it in my journal. The very next day, I heard Dr. Tony Evans speaking on the radio, and he referenced a verse, to me, provides similar instruction:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

That is the first half of James 4:8, from the New King James Version. What I later realized about this verse and the 1 Chronicles verse was that they were not just instructions for my life, but that they were confirmations of what I had recently been experiencing in my life.

Dr. Evans was emphasizing the direction of that verse in James: God is calling us to draw near to Him first; He is not saying, "I’ll draw near to you, and then you draw near to Me." But have you ever tried to get to God from that latter angle? I know I have… not too long ago! When my heart was hard, as I mentioned last week, I was asking God to drop me some nugget that would strengthen my faith. "Just give me something," I pleaded. Again and again. But nothing happened.

I wasn’t trusting God. I wasn’t willing to depend on Him – not by faith, anyway. I was taking my life into my own hands, and basically taking the position that, "Lord, until You show me something, I don’t trust You with my life." Of course, this is not wise!

Dr. Evans said a couple of other things in his message that my life has verified to be true. One is this: "If you do not draw near to God, you will always draw near to sin." I can’t argue with that. I know that when I’m not drawing near to God, I’m not handling my life, my relationships with others, or my relationship to God in the way He wants me to. That means I’m sinning.

Dr. Evans also said you can’t be saying, "God, strengthen me," or "God, help me," while at the same time you’re backing up from Him. Again, good point. That is contrary to what David said to Solomon – seek God – and to what James wrote – draw near to God. Both of their instructions direct us to take action and move toward God.

So, what happens when you do seek and draw near to God?

On that Sunday afternoon when I went back to Genesis and saw God in a fresh light (see In the Beginning), I began to draw near to Him. I made a dedicated decision to be more diligent about reading the Bible, to pray more fervently, and to set my eyes and my heart on Him. I began to re-surrender my life to Him, in faith, without regard for my visible circumstances. Over the next few weeks, I was amazed at what I experienced.

Without question, and to what should be no surprise, God upheld His promise and drew near to me. As I drew near to Him, and sought Him, He drew near and I knew Him in a new way. I actually wrote those words in my journal a few days ago: "It’s like I’m getting to know Jesus again." And in the process, I was filled with joy and peace.

I don’t think I can express in words the spiritual renewal I’ve experienced over these last few weeks, and just how awesome God is. The blessing of experiencing God’s touch on my life, and the blessing of seeing God fulfill His promise is like nothing else.

This is my testimony, and while it is great for me, I’m sharing it with the hope that it will be an encouragement to you. Wherever you are in your life, draw near to God, and according to His Word, He will draw near to you. What can happen then? I’ll leave you with the lyrics of a song our church choir sang recently, In the Presence of Jehovah:

Verse 1
In and out of situations,
That tug-of-war at me
All day long I struggle
For answers that I need
But then I come into His presence,
All my questions become clear
And for a sacred moment,
No doubt can interfere

Chorus
In the presence of Jehovah,
God Almighty, Prince of Peace
Troubles vanish, hearts are mended,
In the presence of The King

Verse 2
Through His love the Lord provided,
A place for us to rest
A place to find the answers,
In hours of distress
Now there is never any reason,
To give up in despair
Just look away and breathe His name,
He will come and meet you there

Chorus
In the presence of Jehovah,
God Almighty, Prince of Peace
Troubles vanish, hearts are mended,
In the presence of The King

Words and music by Geron Davis
© 1985 Meadowgreen Music Co./Songchannel Music Co./ASCAP

May that song be a promise to you now, and your testimony soon, if it is not already.