Daily Devotionals

Bowen's Daily Meditations

Devotional: April 28th

" Draw nigh to God." ― James 4:8.

There are too many, even among those reputed Christians, who seem never to have drawn nigh to God. They have a certain reverence for him, and occupy themselves considerably with the doing of his will. But they do not seem to have ever entered into the holy of holies, and beheld the peculiar manifestations of God. They remain at a certain distance, and think it reverential perhaps so to do. But true reverence will not allow us to slight any means of becoming fitted to glorify God. By drawing nigh to God, we are brought under the power of his perfections, and become subject to his most potent influences. He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than the greatest of the ancient prophets; and there is no reason why we should not draw nigh as Abraham did when he heard that Sodom was to be destroyed; as Moses did when he saw the burning bush; and when he went up into the mountain to be alone with the glory of God; as Isaiah did in the temple, and as Daniel and others did. The Son of God ever offers to accompany us into the presence of the divine majesty, and to sustain us in the interview; wherefore we need not fear to go.

But how shall we draw nigh to God? What is meant by this?

There is a great deal that is shadowy and dubious about the communion that many have with God. They have no such consciousness of having met and conversed with God, as they have of their communications with men. There has been no bright and animating manifestation of God to their souls. They have not felt the power of his present majesty; nor have his divine perfections taken hold upon them as by a special revelation. They know that God is revealed in his word as gracious and merciful towards the race of man; but they have not considered that it is the province of faith to single out the believer, and bring him by himself into the presence of his maker. He is to enter into peculiar and well-understood relations to God. God is his God; he is the child of God; and there must be a conscious acquaintance and intimacy quite distinct from the general goodness of God towards mankind. In order that we may draw nigh to God, we must be come utterly dissatisfied with the vague sort of communion that so many are content with. We must resolve to be satisfied with nothing less than the bright shining of the divine presence upon our individual soul. We must believe it attainable, and resolve to attain it at whatsoever cost.

Having begun to seek it earnestly, we shall perhaps experience many disappointments. The word of God unfolds itself, it is true, more richly to our souls than once it did; and we get juster conceptions of him. But the bright and soul-elevating discovery of him himself, we do not obtain. The more we seek, however, the more we perceive the importance of what we seek; and feel that life without this conscious union of the soul with God, is insupportable. We take this conviction as an encouragement from on high, to go on. As we continue striving in prayer we are led to examine ourselves earnestly to see if there is anything in our way of life that is displeasing to God. We become very scrupulous; very severe with ourselves; we cut off an indulgence here, and an indulgence there; and wonder how we should have formerly been so careless. Duties that we had not formerly dreamed of, now discover themselves to us; we find that we were before very ill acquainted with the will of God. These discoveries perhaps only make us the more unhappy. For we feel that we need a strength such as we have not, in order to live the life we are called to. More and more we see the absolute necessity of drawing nigh to God and strengthening ourselves in the consciousness of our indissoluble union with him in Christ. Finally, in some hour long to be remembered, there falls down as it were a great vail, and with joy unspeakable we behold the light of God’s countenance, are made glad by the assurance deeply buried in the soul, that an Almighty friend accompanies us along the journey of life.

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