Staying Close to Him

When the World Wants to Pull You Away

Have you found out that some days it’s easy to stay close to God and then other days it’s really easy to remain distant from Him? There’s a constant pull and tug on our attention, hearts, minds, thoughts, etc. that this world would love to grip and pull us down with it and to be honest with you, if we’re not on our guard, it’s very easy to follow that tug.

I’ve been studying what it really looks like to stay close to Him because I am in a season of my life right now where I need His nearness more than ever.

I love a good definition of a word – it helps me remember it better and just seems to “stick” so when I was studying what it really looks like to stay close to God, I looked up the definition of stay and close.

To stay: To ground. To remain in the same place or position.

Close: To be near or next to. To be close to someone means a bond is formed not in a day but over time.

After reading these definitions I was immediately reminded of Jeremiah 17 which talks about the tree being planted by streams of water. Look at how beautiful this imagery is and how it can represent our life if we simply stay close to Him.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when hear comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and near fails to bear fruit.”

I don’t know about you, but that is what I want my life to look like. Firm, put, planted. Not fearing the storm, always bearing fruit, remaining green and alive.

The tree isn’t striving. It is simply remaining.

Let us fix our eyes on His nearness today. Even if you don’t feel His nearness, still come. Turn away from that earthy tug that gives temporary pleasure, and rest in the presence of the One who offers eternal rest. He will meet you there. And He will stay close.