How do you draw near to God?

I get blips of sensing God close but really desire to draw closer. How do you personally draw near to God? I know in reality that verse "I long for You Lord as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water."

Do you go to a specific place to draw near? Do you try to 'sense' Him close? Do you get up early? I'd like to know how others get into that really vital relationship and draw near to Him.

When I read this post yesterday I thought for sure someone else would have an easier time giving an answer to such a beautiful and vital question for every believer to take notice of (Isaiah 40), in proving for themselves whether they be in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5-7). Not only to draw near to God( James 4:1-12, Isaiah 55:6) but also finding God (Jeremiah 29:13, Isaiah 55:1-13, Acts 17:27, Hebrews 8:10-12) and being filled with His fulness (Ephesians 3:14-.22, Colossians 2:6-15, 1 John 3:2,3) Of which every believer is to strive to enter (Luke 13:24, Matthew 7:12-14) in to where God desires to make a dwelling place in us all (Matthew 5:3,6, John 14:21,23, Revelation 3:20).

So... Let's begin

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.


Psalms 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.


Psalms 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;


Psalms 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.


Isaiah 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

2 Thessalonians 1:5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Psalms 31:23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Mark 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Luke 22:26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

1 John 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

We are to know Him now, to enter into the kingdom of God, in the life that now is and the one to come. I think we all know this, Finding God is a promise to those who stir themselves up to take ahold of Him, To be made free and to find His rest. He rebuked the Pharisees for not entering themselves as well as not suffering those that would, they did not seek God. Every believer is sealed with the holy Spirit of promise, with all the promises of God to be revealed in each that might seek Him and the teaching from Him alone. We are simply to serve and that by following Him. God has set a perfect plan for every believer to enter in to know His love, His peace and His rest.

What a beautiful question.
Oh saint just asking this brings joy and gladness to my heart.
Personally I set aside all my cares and woes ,If weather permits I go to my garden, or a walk.
I ask out loud teach me your ways o Lord, show me your concerns.
Search my heart and show me Lord the work that needs to be done.
I ask to be emptied that I might be filled.
God has meant me there many times, sometimes silent, but I know he's present.
I ask him for the things that I lack, not earthly things but spiritual things, like love, patients, hope, understanding.
To be in unity with God in thought is in my opinion is the greatest gift of all that's where the love truly is.
I've had the Holy Spirit just teach me things I thought I knew but yet much clearer.
Draw close to him and he will draw close to you. Open yourself to him. Leave no stone unturned.
Be honest and humble.

to draw near to God is to hear and believe Jesus

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭KJV‬‬

as you hear the gospel and believe he draws us closer to Himself

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭12:32‬ ‭KJV‬‬

it’s about hearing his call

“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

God was hidden from mankind in the ot because of our sin so they were told in the old covenant not to come near not to draw close or they would all die

“And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.

And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭19:12, 21, 23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the people were commanded to stay far away and not come near to him they saw a raging fire and bellows of smoke heard deafening trumpets and saw lightning and thunder

when Jesus shows up he’s a humble carpenter a gentle and kind man healing and touching them calling and announcing “come near to
Me and her my words and you will live forever “

it shows the opposite nature of the law of Moses spoken from a hiding place from afar through angels and an imperfect man to people who didn’t want to hear what he was saying because they were afraid they only heard and saw death in his presence

“Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

But christ came inviting people near as close as brothers he reached out and touched the unclean of the world d healed tribes who believes and came near

he can do that for us as well , when we allow the gospel into our heart of faith it’s Christ coming as near as he can be through his word into our faith and life ourself

to believe the gospel is how we come close to Jesus the gospel of the kingdom I mean Matthew mark Luke and John those words in those books bring believers near to God

I have never 'experienced' a feeling of nearness or closeness to God. However, I think when I am in true fellowship with Him, I have peace. Drawing near is 1. Seeking His will--I like this expression "Are you seeking God's hands, what He can give you or are you seeking His face, simply to be in His presence." I confess more often than not I am seeking His hands--not riches or that sort of thing--often it is fear of my daily needs not being met--even good things like Christian friends and fellowship--any 'need' can usurp simple fellowship.

A hymn helps me to focus on God. Beginning with praise and thanksgiving. Then reflection on any sin and confessing it--sometimes it may be a resentment towards someone. Or fear that God will not provide for me. Then prayer, prayer for His Kingdom (see the Lord's prayer--it is a manner/ or outline to help guide us in prayer) Also prayer to be a witness as I move thru the day--I often forget this one.

And of course studying His word asking He reveal things I'm missing or to unfold more deeply what I already know. I think also if you find a place of service to others you will also experience communion with God, along with true fellowship (not just sitting listen passively to a sermon on Sunday).

John 14:15-23
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

amen and to the point it’s the same with asking and receiving

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:7‬ ‭

“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:10, 12-15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

God is made known in Christ and his gospel it’s where we meet him our lord and hear his word him our lords word he revealed it when he was baptized and began to speak the gospel forth

Amen to that Pilgrimshope!

As I was reading this, I realize I had awhile back made a resolution to spend time before bed, reflecting with a journal about my day. What did I do right, Where could I have done better, and what needs to be confessed. Was I loving and kind to all? Did I start the day with prayer? Hmm, yes I need to recommit to doing this...

amen sister things like that in your mind and heart shows that your on the path it’s evidence of your faith that you are. Pricing how you live and treat others is paramount and worth keeping track of in real life looking at not others but you that’s a sign of maturity

and keeping up with our measure of faith I personally think that’s really what it’s all about for all of us seeking Christ in the gospel where he is made known to all nations.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If we covet sinfulness it keeps us from the light but if we want righteousness and approval in our actions we are going to want to know what God has said to people as he’s promising salvstion and eternal Life because to hear his word believe and follow after his ways and purposes and commands

and we also Know when we fall short he’s there to forgive us and lift us back on our feet and call Us his beloved , even though we have sinned and the law would have demanded our death for sin , Christ has promised remission through forgiveness and mercy purchased by his shed blood for our sins

I love about Christianity that it is so very personal between the believer , and thier creator and based upon thier faith in Christ

Those verses are great to be reminded of. However - how do you personally get close to God?

I know the verse about groaning inwardly - and I have that. But it's uncomfortable as I keep grasping for God is as grasping for air. Then I sense Him close - getting only blips - but then it's gone. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong - if that makes sense. I'm trying to draw close but feel I'm not getting there.

I am seeking that 'unity' as you say. I just feel as if I keep missing 'something' but don't know what it is. I thought maybe it's just the 'groaning inwardly awaiting our adoption as sons' but I'm not sure.

I get the "foretaste" of sensing Him - but I long for more. That's a dilemma as the 'blips' only come now and then and I'm left in a state of longing that David described.

How do you draw near to God?

Click to expand...

Simple, through prayer:

Psalm 24v3-6:

"Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully. [Matt 5:8.] He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation [description] of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob. Selah [pause, and think of that]! [AMP]

Don't make it any more complicated than it is, The Trinity are LONGING to have fellowship with each and every one of us, indeed the Lord Jesus is continually knocking at the door of our hearts for that very purpose! Rev 3v20,21.

Remember we pray to the Lord Yeshua/Jesus our concerns by praying in the spirit to the Lord. The Lord has a unique way for every believer for answers at times. I have had some experiences in my life concerning some troubling suituations that I knew was from the Lord. I also had one when the spirit weighted heavily on my soul not to do a sin in my life but did the deed anyway and I will be eternally sorry in this life. Lessons learned.

I had a lady who was my best friend and she had colon cancer. No two people could have been any closer and I prayed continuously for years. We were an odd couple for I was 16 years senior to her. But the Lord took her home one night, and the night she died the Lord woke me up at 1:30 in the morning to tell me "Let your heart not be troubled." I can tell you I will be grateful for the rest of my life. Lord does care about his people and I experienced one of the greatest blessing knowing my friend was safe with the Lord.

A family member had something similar happen. Her spouse was in Iraq in the army and her dog was dying of cancer. She lay on her kitchen floor next to her dog until she couldn't any longer. She went to bed and awoke to see an angel carrying her dog. She got up and went to the kitchen and the dog had died.

If it was another person I wouldn't have believed it but this person was solid.

My thoughts always wander when I try to pray or read the Word - I think it's a spiritual attack.

I hear this a lot from people who pray that their mind wanders off to the cares of this world