Day 10 - Closer

Day 10 – Close

Jeremiah 23:18 (TLB)
18 But can you name even one of these prophets who lives close enough to God to hear what he is saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

Matthew 15:8 (TLB)
8 ‘These people say they honor me, but their hearts are far away.

Hebrews 10:19-22 (TLB)
19 And so, dear brothers, now we may walk right into the very Holy of Holies, where God is, because of the blood of Jesus.
20 This is the fresh, new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain—his human body—to let us into the holy presence of God.
21 And since this great High Priest of ours rules over God’s household,
22 let us go right in to God himself, with true hearts fully trusting him to receive us because we have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean and because our bodies have been washed with pure water.

     We recently acquired a new audio mixer for our sanctuary, and last Sunday, during rehearsal, I was helping someone learn how to use it. While the sound was playing through the speakers, it was challenging to communicate with him. The only way for him to hear and understand was to put my mouth at his ear and speak clearly. Even then, I had to repeat myself. Proximity has everything to do with hearing and doing what is heard. This happens all the time in the home when a TV is on, or the other person is in another room.  Until devices are shut down and people are in the same space, words may be spoken and claims made without hearing or response.

     We have a King who has and is making declarations that, when heard, bring revelation, comfort, guidance, and help for whatever juncture of the path we’re on. If there is difficulty in hearing, understanding, and responding to His voice, it will be most helpful to shut down the noise around us and draw ever closer to the source of His sound. It is possible to spend all our time serving Him and even ministering in His name without ever really hearing His voice and responding to His direction. Martha did well to care for the details, but Jesus made note of Mary’s passion for His nearness.

James 4:8 (NLT)
8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

     We determine our proximity to His presence and the Word we will receive there. Removing the cacophony of the world’s separating passions and sounds reveals how close He has been all along and how near our help in responding to His words. Where there is a rising passion for His presence and the sounds of life coming from Him, the heart and the ears will be directed to not only hear clearly, but be helped in the doing of all that is heard.

Meditation

Fasting:

"My heart's passion is to hear and respond to the will of my Lord and King, to draw close to the place He has made at His side and hear His voice over every other.”
Hebrews 10:19-20, James 4:8

Praise:

"My heart and soul will exalt and magnify the strength and might of my Almighty God."
Psalm 21:13

Identity:

"All things are possible to me because I believe."
Mark 9:23

Understanding:

"I have been given wisdom to know the mystery of the kingdom of God."
Mark 4:11 

Wholeness:

"Equipped with the full armor of God, I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might, standing against the wiles of the enemy."
Ephesians 6:10-11

Provision:

"God supplies the seed for me to sow for a great harvest of righteousness and abundance that glorifies Him."
2 Corinthians 9:10-11

Song: (Click to Hear)

“Closer”

"Said"