God Wants to Be Near

I was having a rough day and called a friend. My friend offered to come over. But I couldn’t accept that! I didn’t want to be alone, but I also didn’t want my friend to go through the inconvenience of driving twenty minutes just so I could cry on their shoulder.

But my friend... well, my friend reminds me of Jesus. My friend immediately came over to sit with me in my sorrow. To be close to me. To my friend, it was worth all the hassle.

God loves us. But what does that mean? What does it mean that God loves us? There are so many answers to that question. It means hope, forgiveness, and peace. But I think there is one thing that it boils down to.

I asked God, “What does it mean that you love me?” And he pressed a Scripture into my heart. John 3:16, perhaps the most famous of verses in the Bible. Most of the times I’ve read it, I’ve focused on the sacrifice of Jesus and the salvation we have through it.

But lately, I noticed the first part. “For God so loved”. Sacrifice and salvation were for one purpose: so that we could be near to God. So that we could spend eternity with him.

God’s love means he wants to be near to us.

How wonderful! We are accepted by God. He wants us close. He yearns to pull us to his chest, his heart. He is a father, a lover of our souls and a friend. That’s the reason Jesus did all he did. Because God wants us close.

Will we let him?

Abba, thank you for your love for me. You want me close! You draw near in my sorrow and in my joy. That is so wonderful. I choose to accept your care for me today, and I thank you for it.

Additional Resource: God put this longing for satisfaction and fulfillment in our hearts, a craving for the things of eternal value. How do we answer this call of eternity in our hearts? Read more