Rediscovering Closeness with God
By Aaron D’Anthony Brown
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Losing Closeness
The image of God given to us through Scripture illustrates an ever-pursuant and always-loving deity. If neither mortality, time nor sin can separate us from His love, then who or what possesses such an ability? The answer is nothing. Why do we find ourselves time and time questioning that love? We ask, “Where are you in this?” or “Why haven’t things changed?” because we genuinely feel abandoned. We feel separated from our father, much like the prodigal son was from his own.
Unfortunate circumstances, mistreatment by others, and sin can make us think we’ve been separated from God, but those thoughts are perspective, not reality. We fool ourselves into thinking if God loves us, that means an abundance of blessings. If God loves us, then bad things wouldn’t happen. People wouldn’t mistreat us. We wouldn’t be so stuck in sin. We fail to remember that God’s love is not contingent upon our circumstances. He loves us when others do not. He loves us when we don’t love ourselves. While we can lose closeness with God, we never lose His love. Once we recognize the distinction and learn to catch negative thoughts seeping in, we can make choices toward rediscovering - not His love - but closeness with God.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
There’s a pattern of losing closeness with God - something occurs, and our perspective changes. We focus more on something else than God, and our closeness with Him vanishes. So the solution is to develop a pattern of rediscovering closeness. There are at least four ways to accomplish that.
1. Keep Praying
Prayer is how we speak directly to God. Maintaining this line of communication ensures that we continue to nurture our relationship with and trust in the Lord. Unfortunately, we are often tempted to stop praying as circumstances don’t change, but neglecting to pray shifts our focus away from God and onto whatever is troubling us.
2. Keep Reading
In addition to prayer, we benefit when we make reading Scripture both a priority and a daily habit. Prayer is undoubtedly our way of communicating with God, but Scripture is undeniably God’s way of communicating with us. We can ask all the questions in the world, but we miss out on these answers when we neglect reading the Bible. Aside from Scripture giving us wisdom, we are reminded of God’s character. In seasons when we lack closeness with Him, we are sometimes tempted to think God has turned against us. Scripture helps us separate fact from fiction.
3. Keep Going to Church
Prayer and reading the Bible are activities we can do alone. Attending church is something we do alongside other believers. When we actively make ourselves a part of God’s body, we find reminders of His presence in other people. We see others facing challenges, reminding us we are not alone. We also discover reminders of how God blesses other people, reminding us we have a reason for hope.
4. Keep Good Habits
When we feel like we’re at the end of our rope and have exhausted all possible resources, good habits keep us afloat. Good habits keep us doing what’s right even when we don’t feel right. Without them as our go-to option, we inevitably find ourselves mired in sin and lacking closeness with God. Good habits consist of any act of worship - showing honor to the Lord. Prayer, reading, church, connecting with people, serving, hobbies, all of these are good habits of worship. Rediscovering the closeness we lose is not easy, but it is always possible. So as you go about rekindling closeness with God today, meditate on these words and discern where you tend to go astray and how you can correct those character defects.
A Prayer for Closeness
Heavenly Father,
We long to be close to you, but we often find ourselves falling away. Situations, people, and even we are to blame. The exact moment is unclear, but we know the feeling of being apart. We recognize the loneliness and frustration of feeling alone, as if even You, Lord, are not on our side. Please help us to see reality. You never leave us. Please meet our desperate need for closeness, welcoming us back home like the prodigal son. Let us know we are always loved and forever welcome. Though we often fail You, Lord, You never fail us. Thank You. In His name, we pray. Amen.
Further Reading:
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Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
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