If God is everywhere, how can we come closer to Him?

There’s likely very few people on the planet that would be surprised to hear people have a close or “intimate” relationship with their cell phones, but why is that the case?

Network World provided an answer to that question in a report in July, 2016 titled, “An obsession to touch phones is rampant.” The article stated:

We’re obsessed with our phones, a new study has found. The heaviest smartphone users click, tap, or swipe on their phone 5,427 times a day, according to researcher Dscout.

That’s the top 10 percent of phone users, so one would expect it to be excessive. However, the rest of us still touch the addictive things 2,617 times a day on average. No small number.

The research firm, which specializes in consumer reactions to products, recruited 94 Android device users and installed special software on their smartphones. The tool tracked each user’s “interaction” over five days, all day, the company says in a blog post on its website.

“And by every interaction, we mean every tap, type, swipe and click. We’re calling them touches,” it explains.

Averaging out the numbers, the aforementioned figures mean the heaviest users are touching their devices a couple of million times in one year, Dscout says.

… Probably the most interesting thing in all this was that the people surveyed completely underestimated their phone touching. While they were initially shocked by the numbers, 41 percent said “it probably won’t change the way I use my phone.”

People are addicted to their phones because they maintain such a persistently close interaction with them.

Imagine if we applied such an interest in being close to God.

The Bible teaches us God is everywhere at all times, but it also encourages us to “come close” to Him:

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you …” James 4:8a.

Some Bible translations, such as the NIV, translate this sentence of scripture as “Come near to God and he will come near to you …” but “near” and “close” don’t mean the same thing. I can be in the same room as another person and that makes me “near” them, but I may be on the opposite side of the room ignoring them – that isn’t “close.” However, If I sit across from that person in the same room and engage in conversation with them, I have “come close” to them; that’s much “closer,” or more intimate, than simply being near them.

At the start of a New Year, many people every year make a New Year’s resolution to “have a closer relationship with God.” To accomplish that, you have to obey scripture – “Come close to God, and God will come close to you …”

If you want a “closer” relationship with God in 2022, you’ll have to take action to be closer to Him. Some of the ways we “come close” to God include:

Prayer – which is talking with God. You can’t really be “close” to someone if you don’t engage in consistent, meaningful conversation with them.

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart,” Colossians 4:2.

“Never stop praying,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

Bible reading/study – God reveals Himself most specifically through scripture. If you want to know God (something necessary to be “close” to Him), you must be a student of the Bible.

“But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”,'” Matthew 4:4.

“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth,” John 17:17.

Meditation – Meditating on the Word of God and His character is a way we gain a deeper understanding of Him.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer,” Psalm 19:14.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise,” Philippians 4:8.

Observing ordinances, such as participating in Communion is a way of coming close to God.

“For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people — an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.’ For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again,” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Worship, praise, and thanksgiving are all ways we can come close to God.

“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name,” Hebrews 13:15.

Silence – Tuning out the world and all the noise of life to have times of fully turning toward and tuning in God.

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world,” Psalm 46:10.

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him,” Psalm 62:5.

Giving to God can be an intimate act that brings us closer to Him.

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others,” 1 Timothy 6:17-18.

“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God,” Hebrews 13:16.

Christian fellowship helps us come closer to God by sharing in fellowship of Him.

“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them,” Matthew 18:20.

Trust God – that act of trust makes us closer to God.

“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you,” Psalm 37:5.

Exercise your faith -Like trust, this helps us come close to Him.

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him,” Hebrews 11:6.

Serving others, specifically if done in the Lord’s name, is as if we were serving Him and brings us close to Him.

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'” Matthew 25:40.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen,” 1 Peter 4:10-11.

These are just some of the ways that we can “come close” to God. If you “want a closer relationship with God” in 2022, what actions are you taking to come close to Him?

Scotty