Invited To Be Close To Him

Uplook – March 2021 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Invited To Be Close To Him

“Thou wilt make known to me the path of life: Thy countenance is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.” —Psalm 16:11 JND

God in His mercy invites you as a believer to be close to Him. “No longer strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow citizens of the saints, and of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). This is your position. What a blessing when a soul acts in faith on this truth and enters in reality near to God. That practical nearness is a result of the simplicity of faith. We delight to be found in His presence, the One who is love (1 Jn. 4:8).

Nearness is a result of practical holiness. That means to be separated or set apart for Him. His desire and love are toward us, and He delights to detect a response in us which gives Him that place in our lives.

Our verse in Psalms tells us where the pleasures for the believer are found: “at His right hand.” His powerful hand gives protection and upholds you even when your pathway leads through deep waters. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Ps. 23:4). Look in the Word of God for places where people were found near Him. John experienced love near the heart of His Savior. Mary could delight in Him at His feet. Others found rest and peace just being where He was, and Peter was so attached to Him that he could walk on the water until his eyes turned away from Him and he started to sink. Even then our blessed Lord reached out in love and put him back into a place where he could enjoy His fellowship again.

By Klaas Rot

Thou my everlasting portion,
More than friend of life to me, All along my pilgrim journey,Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee; All along my pilgrim journey,Savior, let me walk with Thee.— Fanny Crosby (1820–1915)