How I Got Closer to GodSample

I FELL IN LOVE

God’s Word is Him talking to us, and I wanted to hear Him every minute during those first days of recovery.

Psalm 119:92-93 NKJV says it like this, “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.” 

That was me. I was in a time of trouble and affliction, but His Word was a lifeline for me and I felt like I would have perished without it. Night after night I just sat in a quiet place and let His Word wash over me. He gave me life through His Word—it was my delight.

There is something to that idea of being delighted by spending time with God. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” His Word was my delight, and as a result He gave me the desires of my heart.

I discovered later that these times spent with God were a delight to His heart as well as mine. He loves spending time with His children.

Now, I’m not saying that you have to read the Bible for hours and hours to get to know God. You don’t “earn and deserve” a relationship with God—He already took care of all that in Jesus. But the Bible is God talking to us. It contains His instructions, His character, His promises, His hopes and dreams for mankind, and for you. It’s the first place to go when you want to get closer to Him.

I found Him through His Word. I found out He is so faithful, so available for us whenever we call upon Him. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” I found out, firsthand, that’s absolutely true! As I drew nearer and nearer to Him, He was such a present help. I could feel Him right there with me each day as I navigated my way through the days and months after my husband’s death.

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” He is true to this promise. He is always available for you when you draw near to Him. There’s really no one else you can say that about. Think about it: even the people you love most can’t be available for you 24/7. There are times you might call on them and get their voicemail, or they’re simply too busy to drop everything and rush to your aid.

But not your Father, God. He’s never too busy for you. You’ll never get His voicemail. Every single time you draw near to Him, He’ll draw near to you.

Now, I would say that I knew God before my husband died. I would even say I loved Him, yes! I had read all those verses before. I had preached the Word and been a faith-filled girl. But there’s something about pressing in during a time of need—a time of desperation, really—that helped me find out that He really is a very present help in times of trouble. 

That time period after my husband died is really when I fell in love with God.

Why? Because I spent so much time with Him.