The Challenge of Nearness
By Elin
Henderson
“His purpose was for the nations to
seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he
is not far from any one of us.”
Acts 17:27 (NLT)
One of the most unique
characteristics of God is His nearness. A pure, holy and righteous God drawing
near to a created man. Wow! We see it through history...starting with Adam and
Eve in the garden and culminating in the New Heaven and the New Earth when He
will live near and among us. However, there is no greater example of “nearness”
than Christ Himself. He gave up the comforts and safety of heaven to come to
this fallen and dirty Earth and live among us for a time to rescue and save us.
And what do we do? We hide. We run.
We shake our fists at Him, but still He draws near. He’s never far away. It is
this fact that woos and draws us closer. When everyone else backs away, He
draws even closer. Whether we are hiding ashamedly in a garden, have fallen
into a pit, or are running away in a ship…He finds us and draws close. [1]
Without nearness, there is no
relationship. Nearness is essential for discipleship to occur. God clearly shows
us this in His example with mankind. For those of us seeking to “make
disciples” wherever God has placed us, the challenge of nearness is a real
thing. Those whom we want to minister to and disciple - - are oftentimes the
most resistant. We draw near, and they draw back. If not for the example of our
Lord, we would not be able to maintain nearness.
Nearness isn’t clean and neat. It
often means being uncomfortable, being challenged, being rejected. It requires
consistency, courage and tenacity. On our own, we will fail miserably. But with
The God Who Draws Near as our example and leader, we will find a way!
May the nearness that we experience in Him be reflected in our discipleship each day. May it spur us on to lay aside our personal comforts, and be willing to enter into a nearer relationship in our ministry to others.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Who would you say are the
people God is calling you to draw near right now? Is this easy or challenging?
In what ways are they resisting this nearness?
2. What are some creative ways
that you can bridge the gap and draw near even when people draw away?
FURTHER
READING:
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin
Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters
with Ethnos 360 in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to seventeen-year-old
Callie and fifteen-year-old Elias.
