6 Practical Ways You Can Draw Near to God

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 16:7-18.  Let’s go!

1 Chronicles 16:7 (NIV) 
⁷  That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the LORD: 

On verses 7-18:  David wrote this song and instructed his worship band to lead it on the day that they brought the ark to Jerusalem (v7).  You can find part of it in Psalm 105.

Want a simple and effective plan for drawing near to God and experiencing His joy and peace?  Take each of the following lines in David’s song and live it out.  Verses 8-18 give us 6 practical steps you can take to draw near to God today.

For example:

1 Chronicles 16:8 (NIV) 
⁸  Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

On verse 8:  First, choose an attitude of gratitude today.  Take time to thank God for His blessings in your life.  You might think your life sucks right now, but when you choose an attitude of gratitude and start naming some blessings in your life, it’s amazing how an attitude of gratitude can keep you afloat when your circumstances make you feel like sinking.

1 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV) 
⁹  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

On verse 9:  Regardless of your musical ability, God loves the sound of your voice when you sing praises to Him.  So, second, sing to Him!

1 Chronicles 16:10 (NIV) 
¹⁰  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

On verse 10:  The third is to “glory in his holy name”.  What does it mean to “Glory in his holy name”?  It means to put your hope in God, to place your hope in the only name that can save us.  Sometimes when I am tempted to put my hope in something other than God, I will pray and say, “God, my hope is not in X” (whether X is exercise, food, things going my way, or something else), “my hope is in You”.   When I speak this out, I’m glorying in His holy name and strengthening my faith and resolve in the process.

1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV) 
¹¹  Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

On verse 11:   Fourth, don’t focus on your problem or your weakness.  Look to God and the strength we have in Him.

1 Chronicles 16:12-13 (NIV) 
¹²  Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
¹³  O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

On verses 12-13:  Fifth, think back to the times when God has worked wonders in your life.  When you’re facing uncertainty today, look to God’s miracles of yesterday to give you hope for tomorrow.

1 Chronicles 16:14-18 (NIV) 
¹⁴  He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
¹⁵  He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,
¹⁶  the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.
¹⁷  He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
¹⁸  “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”

On verses 14-18:  Sixth, study the Scriptures and get to know the God of the Bible.  The better you know God’s Word, the better you’ll know God, His character and how He relates to us.

Holy Spirit, thank You for inspiring David to write this song and in so doing give us practical steps for drawing near to You.  Thank You that whenever I take these steps You renew my life and my faith in You.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!