Draw Near to God

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." These words from James 4:8 certainly ring true for this young and growing church. With over 50 testimonies shared throughout the course of the summit, there is no doubt that God did draw near to them.

"God, what happened?" were the words of a woman who stood one night at the microphone confessing years of bitterness and anger. They had robbed her of intimacy with God, and she was left wondering where God's power in her life had gone.

Another woman confessed that she had been bitter with God for 17 years because she thought she deserved a better life than the one she has. Her life was plagued with difficulties, and she was angry with God for His seeming neglect.

Bitterness seems to be a struggle in every church we go to. Somewhere along the way, people stop counting it all joy when they get hurt. Instead, they get angry.

One couple confessed the bitterness they had wrestled with after the imprisonment of the husband's brother. Rather than making the greatest investment where they had the greatest opportunity for bitterness, they did just the opposite.

After a message on pride, this couple went and prayed together, asking forgiveness for not being supportive of each other in the situation. While they were praying, their ten-year-old son came to meet with them and tell them he was ready to get saved. This was not only an answer to many years of prayer; it was a striking demonstration to this couple of the power of obedience.

Bitterness was not the only issue God's healing hands dealt with throughout the summit. One man shared with our revivalist how God had done an incredible work in his marriage.

At the start of the summit, he and his wife came to church in separate cars and sat on opposite sides of the sanctuary. Their marriage was coming to a premature end. But through the summit, they began to inch closer and closer to one another, until finally they were once again sitting together.

"We're going to make it," the man said. Though they were on the brink of divorce, God redeemed their marriage.

From the pastor's open confession of his sinful mishandling of leadership, to the young boy who wept over the way he treated his younger brother, God certainly drew near to this congregation and did mighty works among them. The men of the church were so moved by what God did in their lives that they plan to continue meeting together weekly for prayer and accountability.

Though the summit came to a close, God is not finished with these people. If this church continues to draw near to God, hungry for more of Him, one can only imagine what the congregation will look like when God gazes on their longing hearts. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

Comments