• Drawing Closer To God
• What we can learn from the psalmist about seeking the Lord and keeping Him closer to us.

• Psalm 73:23-28
“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand.
With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.
• My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works.

• Introduction
• It should be obvious that our personal relationship with God is to be of supreme importance.
• Collectively, we all work towards that relationship, and encourage each other along the way.
• We cannot begin to express the meaning of getting closer to God by mere words alone.
• As we read the words of Asaph, we get a profound deep feeling of a desire to be in a very close relationship with God.
• We understand the importance of a deep intimate relationship as we look at the marriage bond.
• We need to feel so connected to God that separation would be a curse for us.

• I am continually with Thee
• We must never forget the presence of God.
• Yes, God is everywhere, and we need to remember that God is where you are watching what you are doing all the time.
• It is not God who severs the relationship we have with Him, we sever our relationship because of our sins.

• Thou has taken hold of my right hand
• The right hand is the symbol of authority.
• Christ sits at the right hand of God.
• Servants and prophets of God are sometimes said to be His right hand.
• For most, the right hand is stronger as it is used more.
• God holding our hand should be comforting.

• With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me
• The counsel of God is all that He teaches us.
• Paul declared the whole counsel of God to the Ephesian elders. (Acts 20:27)
• In other words, Paul did not leave anything out that was important.
• All of God’s word is important (2 Timothy 3:16,17)
• We must allow God to guide us through our walk of life.

• And afterward, receive me to glory
• This is what we all are hoping for.
• The glory of God which He promised to His faithful ones.
• We are promised to share in the glory that now belongs to Christ. (Colossians 3:3-4)
• We can rest from our labors AFTER we have done our duty to God.

• Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
• Good question.
• Might be said this way: Who greater can I have?
• The desire of reaching heaven should motivate us to faithful service.
• Sharing our faith with others is included in such faithful duty.

• And beside Thee, I desire nothing on earth
• Sure we desire things as humans.
• The point is that we must remember to seek God first in everything. (Matthew 6:33)
• We can be thankful that God has blessed us with so much, and we must not forget where our blessings come from.
• Anything on earth more important than God will prevent us from reaching heaven.

• My flesh and my heart may fail
• Yes, we are mortal, and we are human, and we have desires, and yes, our heart will fail at some point.
• However none of those desires are so important that we might forget we are still seeking God.
• But what a blessing we have that even though we do fail God from time to time, He will forgive us if we ask for it.

• But God is the strength of my heart
• Our strength to be faithful comes from understanding just how much God is rooting for us.
• God demonstrated His love for us by sending the Son (John 3:16) who provided salvation to all those who obey Him. (Hebrews 5:9)
• If we have God’ word in our heart, we will try to do His will. (Psalm 119:11)

• And my portion forever
• We can always depend upon God.
• God will never forsake us or leave us. (Hebrews 13:5)
• If we are separated in our relationship, it is because of our sins (Isaiah 59:2).

• For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish;
• Those who are near to God will flourish, and be blessed.
• Psalm 73:1 “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!”
• Those separated from God are lost and on the road to destruction.

• Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee.
• This is the fate of every soul that rejects God and what God offered to us: His Son.
• Before the cross, God executed His justice by destroying the people who were disobedient.
• On judgment day, God will send all the unfaithful into everlasting destruction.

• But as for me, the nearness of God is my good.
• It is good to draw near to God.
• It is to our benefit for our soul.
• If we make the effort to draw near to God, He will draw nigh unto us. (James 4:8)

• I have made the Lord God my refuge,
• He is our stronghold and fortress.
• We cannot put our trust in anyone else
(Psalm 118:8)
• We should not trust upon ourselves
(Proverbs 3:5,6)

• That I may tell of all Thy works.
• This is why we are here.
• To tell of God and His mighty works.
• Of His creation, dealing with men, and the offering of salvation.
• We are a chosen people for a purpose :
(1 Peter 2:9) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

• Conclusion
• Drawing close to God is not hard as you might think.
• But only those who make the effort to draw near to God will find Him.
• Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him when He is near (Isaiah 55:6)
• Are you seeking God?

By Carey Scott

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