Most of us desire closeness with God. We’ve seen it in others. We see their joy. We see their peace. But sometimes we just don’t feel all that close to God. And sometimes we do not even seem to be making any progress towards closeness. I have often heard people ask me why this is. There are a number of possibilities, but I want to mention three.*

1. Maybe your life is too safe.

Throughout history and Scripture, we see people experiencing an intense closeness with God when they are in the most dire of circumstances. Paul even has the maturity to embrace his “thorn in the flesh” in II Corinthians 12, because he recognizes that his weakness allowed God to be more glorified.

And this great closeness that comes when we sacrifice comfort and safety for the sake of Gospel is not reserved for only those long ago. If you have 6 minutes, you will be greatly inspired by this true story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Pm3lA2lWd3Y

2. Maybe your life is too loud.

Our world is so LOUD!!!!** E-mail alerts, texts, social media and entertainment are always screaming for our attention.

Have you ever wondered how in the world we could, as a society, be so stupid as to allow texting and driving to become one of the great killers of our day? Have you thought about how insane this is? We have programmed our brains in dangerous ways. We are addicted to noisy, busy lives.

If you think your life is loud, try walking in Jesus’ sandals for a day. People were physically chasing him down. They wanted taught. They wanted healed. They wanted answers. They wanted miracles. They wanted, wanted, wanted. And so he made a habit of sneaking away in the darkness of morning. He needed to pray alone (see Mark 1:35). He needed quiet.

Jesus had to fight for quietness in his life. You will too.

Last week I wrote about how our family is trying to implement some healthy summer rules. I was surprised by the number of people who indicated how much they needed this. We all need it.

3. Maybe your life is too selfish.

Ever had a friend who really wanted your friendship, but did not want to listen, share, help, or contribute in positive ways? So, how did that work out for you? People often treat God the same way. We say that we want closeness, but we do not input anything into the relationship. As we do this, we actually shove ourselves away. Just as a spouse grows in affection towards the other, after they serve and give, so our feelings of closeness with God emerge as we listen, worship, serve and trust Him.

My prayer is that, ultimately, you will BE close to God. And because of this, you will also FEEL close to God.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14, NIV)

*Reasons 1 & 2 came from Francis Chan’s insightful book Forgotten God. **People typing in ALL CAPS is adding to the noise and stress of our world. ***If you would like to hear a sermon that I preached about this topic, go here.