Wednesday Night Bible Study - 22 April 2020

Build A Close Relationship With God

Tools: Bible, highlighter, notepad

Introduction

Although God is invisible to us, He can become the most reliable, trusted and loving reality in your life!

King David poetically described His experience of God's greatness and nearness to us:

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell [the grave], behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,' even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Memory Verse: "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well" (Psalm 139:7-14).

David was inspired by God's omnipresence (He is everywhere present) and His omniscience (He is all-knowing and all-wise). When people are not close to God, they like to think it—whatever "it" may be—is God's fault. Not true. People forget about God, but God never forgets about us. He is always available to you if you "seek Him with all your heart" (Deuteronomy 4:29).

Draw Near to God, and He Will Draw Near to You

The psalmist wrote, "It is good for me to draw near to God" (Psalm 73:28), and hopefully you are learning how good it is for you. A relationship with God begins when God calls us or draws us. Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up [resurrect him] at the last day" (John 6:44).

After God calls us, He expects us from then on to exercise initiative in seeking to draw near to Him. If we do, we have this very encouraging promise: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

The promise of a resurrection to life after death becomes a primary motivator. It is that "better hope, through which we draw near to God" (Hebrews 7:19).

This lesson will cover some specific ways to develop and maintain a close relationship with God.

How valuable is it to read and study the Bible?

2 Timothy 3:14-17 - But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Proverbs 3:13-15, New International Version - Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she [wisdom] is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

The Bible is more valuable than all the rest of the books in the world, combined; it is priceless! It is the Creator's revelation to His creation regarding His plan and how we should live our lives to fulfill our purpose and to obtain, by far, the best results. Even kings were commanded to read the Scriptures daily (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). The Bible is God's Word—God speaking to each of us. We must listen, and listen carefully!

To make one's Bible study personally "profitable," what is a major key?

Joshua 1:8, God's Word Translation - Never stop reciting these teachings. You must think about them night and day so that you will faithfully do everything written in them. Only then will you prosper and succeed.

1 Timothy 4:13, 15 - Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine... Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.

It's important to not read the Bible in a rush. Take time to really think about what you are reading and you will get a lot more out of it. Meditate and reflect deeply on the meaning of the scriptures and their application to your life. Meditating on God's laws helps immensely to write them on your heart (Hebrews 8:10).

Can we talk to God at any time and know that He hears us?

1 John 5:14-15 - Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

John 16:23 - [Jesus said], "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you."

Sincere prayer is powerful because the Creator of all the universe loves to hear our prayers and loves to answer them. The Bible has many scriptures that exhort us to pray and many that give pointers on how to pray. God expects us to maintain daily two-way communication with Him—reading His messages in the Bible and talking to Himin prayer. And the more you pray, the more natural it will be for you. The Bible compares the "prayers of the saints" with sweet-smelling incense, because they please God (Revelation 5:8).

Can we walk with God? And what exactly does that mean?

1 John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him [Christ] ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

2 John 1:6 - This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

1 John 2:3 - Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

In the Bible, the word walk is often used to refer to one's lifestyle—how we live our life. To walk according to God's Word means to apply it, to put it into action. To walk with God means to obey His commandments and to follow—imitate—Jesus' example. This includes keeping the Fourth Commandment as Jesus did. Observing God's Sabbath day provides a whole day to focus on drawing close to God.

As you see, we must talk and walk with God.

What’s Next?

Daily prayer is a principle key explained above, and a major part of our prayers should be thanking and praising God for His many blessings. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6, New International Version, emphasis added). Many, many scriptures throughout the Bible exhort us to thank and praise God in prayer and in song. Psalms 69:30; 106:1; 107:8; and 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 are just a few examples…

God loves the attitude of gratitude! When God answers a prayer, protects us or blesses us in some other way, He's not expecting much in return except our obedience and our thanksgiving. Make it a habit to count your many blessings and praise God for them.

Take Action

Stop and think about many of the blessings and benefits that God has given you, and make a list of them. You probably will be pleasantly surprised at how many you can quickly think of. And God will be well pleased that you immediately took this wonderful action and step forward.

Over the course of the next week take time to draw close to God through daily prayer.