I'm running on about 4 hours of sleep, having gotten to bed around 2:00 this morning after picking up my friend (and roommate), Heather, from JFK airport. Normally I would be somewhat of a grumpypants after so few hours of sleep, but this morning there was something in me that decided to actually wake up when my cell phone alarm went off and to use the time I had before work to seek God.
Yesterday, as I was reading John Piper's Future Grace, I was startled and refreshed by these verses:
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8)
"The Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away fro you, if you return to Him." (2 Chronicles 30:9)
If there are two things I can be sure of at this very moment, they are:
1) That I am a sinner in need of God's grace
2) That there is Grace to seek Him RIGHT NOW.
That He promises to draw near when I do. That He promises I will have NO LACK when I do. That He will delight me, guide me, be kind to me. These aren't just "nice ideas". They are promises from God's Word. And because He is trustworthy, His words can be trusted.
I am taking Him at His word today. I don't need to do anything special or super-human for Him to draw near to me. I recognize my need for Him and cry out- "He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you." (Isaiah 30:9)
I will never know why He chooses to bother with me- I have so little faith, so much selfishness, boatloads of pride, and doubt... yet He is patient and waits for me to come around. What an amazing, loving God He is! He alone is to be feared.
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