“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) God is waiting for us to draw near to Him. He will not force us to draw near but when we do He responds. God does not hold grudges as we often do. He is not cold or remote or difficult as people can sometimes be. He is not too busy, preoccupied or overloaded as we often are.
When the prodigal son came to his senses and began his journey back to his father, while still a long way off, his father ran to him and embraced him and kissed him. The father welcomed the errant son back with open arms and with full restoration of his privileges as a son and indeed with joy and celebration. (Luke 15:11-32)
This parable of Jesus tells us that God is a loving Father who welcomes back—indeed runs to meet—all who have gone astray even while still a long way off on their journey back to Him. The father in this parable also reminds the older faithful son that all the privileges that he restores to the returning son are his already. This son already has the father’s full attention and constant affection. We too can be sure that whether we draw near to God the Father after a long time and a great distance away or after just a little drifting from him that comes in the wake of the distractions and temptations of daily life, the Father welcomes us into His presence and draws near to us in return.
Whether we experience a dramatic and corporate encounter with God as on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47) or a solitary encounter a Moses did at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-22) or something much more subtle and quiet as Elijah did in hearing God’s still small voice (1 Kings 19:9-18), God’s drawing near is real and life-changing. Sometimes we may both fear and long for something more dramatic. Yet even with the dramatic events of the day of Pentecost, there were some who did not respond with faith when God drew near, because they did not desire to draw near to Him. Instead they rationalized their resistance to God by accusing the disciples of being drunk.
When Moses had a dramatic encounter with God in the burning bush, he had to first turn aside and draw near to what he had seen from a distance—perhaps out of the corner of his eye. We too may not initially or fully understand what God is doing. Like Moses, we have to make a choice to draw near to God in faith and trust and openness. When we make a small move toward God, God moves toward us. As we wait for the Lord, just as with the disciples prior to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, God is already present to encourage us and to help us to have expectant hearts. He is already drawing near enabling us to pray and have faith.
God wants us to draw near in faith both individually as with Moses at the burning bush and in union with other believers as in the days leading up to Pentecost. Our drawing near is first individual (as no-one can draw near for you) and in concert with others as when we gather on Sunday and at other times.
The wonderful and unprecedented thing about Pentecost was that God would come and dwell not just with but in those who would believe, changing them and us on the inside—putting His desires in our hearts, indeed giving us new hearts where He could dwell.
All this was and is possible because of the Incarnation, Life, Atoning Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Pentecost is the result of all that Jesus has done for us. Because of the faithfulness and resulting exaltation of Jesus, the Holy Spirit has been and is being poured out on all people, young and old, men and women, Jews and Gentiles, people of every race and language and earthly status—starting at Pentecost and continuing today and until the Lord returns.
In this Pentecost season of the Father’s Love, may we individually and together draw near to God the Father through Jesus, having faith that God by His Spirit will draw near to us.
