How can I have a closer relationship with God?

Alas! in the presence of a trial, how quickly we, too, can forget all that the Lord has been for us in the past. The way He has led us, the grace that has preserved us, the heart that has loved us, the hand that has held us, the word that has directed us, all are forgotten in the presence of a trial that is so very real to sight and sense. We see the trial, we lose sight of God. Instead of standing before the living God we flee before some passing trial. We seek to escape the trial, rather than seek the grace of God to sustain in the trial, and to learn God's mind through it.

But we are frail indeed, who walk in it. How blessed, then; to have our refuge in One who is "good and ready to forgive, and full of loving-kindness to all that call upon" Him! With this need may be faced, and (if we have faith for it) gloried in; that means constant proving of the living God; and when with trial the assurance increases: "I will call upon Thee: for Thou wilt answer me."

Is it not well, dear Christian reader, to deal closely with our hearts, in the presence of God, on this deeply-practical and momentous subject? It is easy to speak of our own. weakness; but do we so feel it day by day and continually, that we are compelled to look to God for strength? Is it a realized fact with us, that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing; and because of this, are we cast upon the power and goodness of God? Surely it is a precious reality to have God for our refuge and strength, waiting on and for Him, because He has been, and is, and will be, "a very present help in trouble;" and such always prove that "blessed is the man whose strength is in thee." If God be our refuge, we shall find either that He will give us deliverance from the trouble, or help in the trouble; but blessing it will be, present blessing, in some way or other. It may be painful to find every other refuge fail us, all other streams dry, every cistern broken, and lover and friend stand aloof; but God being really our refuge, we shall find Him our strength, and a very present help. Trials, more or less, we must all have but what unspeakable blessing there is in making God our refuge! What relief! What rest How truly the following lines express the utterance of many tried souls who cleave to God in their sorrow: "Other refuge have I none; Hangs my helpless soul on Thee: Leave, oh, leave me not alone Still support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed; All my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenceless head With the shadow of Thy wing!"

Sometimes external trials are necessary that we may distinguish between what is of the old man and of the new, which are often confounded in our deceitful hearts. … When there remains in the heart any groan which is not uttered to God as to a God of grace, any distrust of Him, it is the flesh, and the work of the enemy. When we do not go forward when God has shewn the way, because of some difficulty, the flesh acts, and the Spirit is grieved. Have confidence in Him, and rejoice in His love. We may be cast down at times (although scarcely ever without some want of faith), and yet everything goes on well, if we bring it all to God. If it is trial only, we shall certainly be comforted; if there is failure in us, it will be discovered there. However matters stand let us go to Him, His peace shall keep our hearts. …

This leads to another and natural consequence, but one of great importance, because it not only informs us of the will of God, but keeps us in His presence, and familiar with the ideas, thoughts, ways, hopes, the whole manner of our God. "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein, for thus shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success." Compare Psalm 1. This meditation on God's word, of course, makes us know His will. But it does a great deal more. It gives the habitual delight of the heart to be in what God reveals, in what He delights in. We acquire His (that is, the true but divine) way of thinking of things; not the side of the vain show of this world. Our own hearts are formed by and in this divine and blessed apprehension of things. Oh what a light it is, and how does the vanity of this world appear what it is! "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." "For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." Besides, the soul is kept subject to God in meditating on His word: an immense point morally. Nor is this all. It secures the communications of His grace. "I have called you friends, for whatsoever I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." Owning the word of God is owning God in this world as He has spoken. But I must pass on.

Just as a man's speech or writings is the means or instrument by which he communicates his thoughts, and makes known his feelings, so is God's word the instrument or means by which He makes Himself known. Meditation is the means by which we, on our part, become possessed of that which is made known. In the case of a fellow-creature, suppose I find all my happiness in keeping company with him, listening to his discourse; or, supposing him absent, in reading his letters or writings, poring over their contents, repeating them to myself and following out the trains of thought to which they give rise — clearly, in such a case, it is my delight in the speaker or writer, my admiration of his character or abilities, my sympathy with his thoughts and principles and pursuits, my attachment to himself, which accounts for the delight I have in his writings and discourses. So, if my delight is in the word of God, and if in that word I meditate day and night — my thoughts whenever released from pressure returning to God's word, and flowing spontaneously in that channel, it is because God Himself is known, loved, and delighted in. If it be, then, the secret of true happiness which is here unfolded to us, what is it but that God Himself alone suffices for the happiness of his intelligent creature, man? "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."1 "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul."2 "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee."3 "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup."4 Such breathings as these are expressions of the counsel of the godly. Even as to the means of enjoying Him as our portion, other scriptures are not wanting. "Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart."5 "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart."6 See also Psalm 19:7-11; and the whole of Psalm 119.

From the psalms specified two subjects of meditation are expressly mentioned. The first is the Lord Himself. Let us examine the passage: "I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord." The psalmist, as will be seen, commences with praise: he is joyful in the Lord, and he makes melody in his heart. This leads him out in contemplation of the One before whom he bows in adoration, and filled with the sense of His beauty and excellency he will "talk with himself," with exquisite enjoyment, concerning the beatific vision which thus dawns upon his soul. If any are tempted to regard this as extravagant language, let them remember that it is when we draw near to the Lord that He draws near to us, that He delights to reveal Himself to the waiting heart, and to flood it with the sense of His presence and love. Would that we knew more of it; but do not doubt that if you get into His presence in this way your meditation of Him will be sweet, and that you will be glad in the Lord.

Another thing should be added in connection with it. There will not only be enjoyment of soul, but there will also be transforming power streaming forth from His presence. For what does the apostle mean when he says, "We all, with open face beholding … the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord"? Surely the beholding is contemplation of, or meditation upon, His glory, and for this we must be before Him. As we read in another place, we grow "by" the knowledge of God, and this knowledge we gain from the revelation which He has been pleased to make of Himself in Christ. All His glory now shines forth from the face of the glorified Man (who is also the Son of God) at His own right hand. Meditation, therefore, is essential to growing conformity to Christ. Nor can this be too earnestly insisted upon, in a day when the acquisition of the knowledge of truth is rendered so easy. But it is the knowledge of HIMSELF we need, and in ever-increasing measures; and this is only to be gained by much meditation, leading to an ever-greater intimacy with Him. What possibilities are opened out in this direction in the wondrous words, "I know My sheep, and am known of Mine, even as 'the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father"!

In Psalm 119 the meditation is upon the scriptures - the precepts, statutes, etc. But before we can be like the psalmist in this respect, and be found meditating upon the Word of God, another thing is requisite. We read in verse 16, "I delight myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy word"; and again, "I delight in Thy law." (v. 78.) Moreover he says, "Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage." (v. 54.) All this tells of a state of soul, a state of soul which is only reached oftentimes through much exercise and through many experiences. Sometimes it is the case, even after conversion, that we only read the Scriptures from a sense of duty; and this will ever be so, more or less, where the liberty of grace is not enjoyed. Others will read their Bibles even with avidity, but mainly to learn its contents, to acquire knowledge. In neither of these cases will the meditation of our psalm be possible. But when the Lord Himself becomes the absorbing object of our hearts, and we hear His well-known voice speaking to us through His Word, as really as He spake to His disciples in days of yore, we sit down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit is sweet to our taste. Then we shall be often lost in meditation upon His wondrous words - words which contain the blessed unfoldings of Himself, and of His love and grace.

Read the Word prayerfully. In prayer you speak to God; through the Word God speaks to you. While your eyes rest on the sacred page, let your heart lifted up to God with the prayer, that the eye of faith may be opened to “behold wondrous things” out of His law (Ps. 119:18). Remember that the Spirit of God is your Teacher, that He by whose inspiration these words of God were written, alone can unfold their spiritual meaning to your understanding and your heart (1 Cor. 2:10 -14), and make them strength and comfort to your soul. When you discover some fresh aspect of truth, when you dig out some hitherto unknown treasure, when some new ray of heaven's light enters your heart, meditate on it, speak to God about it, praise Him for it, ask Him to make it your soul's personal possession, to make it good to you experimentally.

In reading the Holy Scriptures we should remember that they do not simply contain a rule of life and conduct, but that they are a revelation of God, so as to lead us into the knowledge of Him in Jesus Christ, and thus into life eternal. He that was "in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." "I have manifested Thy name," says the Lord, "unto the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world." They do assuredly exhibit a rule of life; and as such not a jot or tittle of them is to be disregarded (Matt. 5:18); but if they be received merely as such, our souls will not come into contact with the great purpose of God in giving them forth. We are renewed in knowledge — knowledge of God in Christ, through the Spirit; and therefore the effort of the god of this world is to hinder the light of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, from shining into us; and, on the other hand, the prayer of the apostle, for the church, is that they might receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, and that they might increase in the knowledge of God (Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:10). Oh! that all saints may find their happiest occupation in searching out the ways of their faithful God, redeeming their time from the vain pursuits of the world thus to converse with Him. Let us remember however, that it is the willing and obedient heart, and not the acute intellect, that makes safe and profitable progress in this knowledge. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him" (Ps. 25:14). "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein" (Ps. 111:2).

This foundation question settled, now freed from self-occupation, you will have leisure of mind and soul for meditation upon the truth as revealed in the Scriptures. "As a new-born babe, you will desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2) ; and, moreover, if you study the word in the presence of the Lord, you will be guided by it into ever closer intimacy of communion with Himself, and as you trace out His infinite perfections and glories that are unfolded to us and apprehended by the Spirit of God, your affections will be drawn forth in ever increasing fervency, and your heart, now satisfied, will overflow in adoration at His feet, and thus your complaint will be changed into a song of praise.