- [Narrator] Five signs you must draw closer to God.
Number one, when we need divine direction.
As we journey through life, we will always need God.
And this is why the Bible calls us
into a close relationship with him.
However, there are times when we need
to come much more closer to him.
Jesus is called the good shepherd,
and it's important to ponder why this is so.
The job of a shepherd is to lead his sheep
to the right path, away from danger,
and into safety or far from empty fields into lush grounds.
As believers, the more we need direction,
the more we must stay glued to God.
Moses shows us why God's leading a direction is crucial
if we must make our lives count.
He relied totally on God for so much,
even though the people considered him a wise leader.
Exodus 33:7-11 says:
"Now Moses used to take his own tent
and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp,
and he called it the tent of meeting,
of God with his own people.
And everyone who sought the Lord would go out
to the temporary tent of meeting which was outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the tent,
all the people would rise and stand, each at his tent door,
and look at Moses until he entered the tent.
Whenever Moses entered the tent,
the pillar of cloud would descend
and stand at the doorway of the tent;
and the Lord would speak with Moses.
When all the people saw the pillar
of cloud standing at the tent door,
all the people would rise and worship,
each at his tent door.
And so the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face,
just as a man speaks to his friend.
When Moses returned to the camp, his attendant Joshua,
the son of nun, a young man,
would not depart from the tent."
It should actually be our lifestyle
to speak intimately with God when we need direction.
This is because there is a way which seems right to a man
and appears straight before him,
but its end is the way of death, proverbs 14:12.
No one can actually declare with all accuracy
what tomorrow will look like, only God does.
Therefore, it is wisdom to lean on the shoulder
of the one who knows the way.
David was wise to seek God's direction
before setting out for war.
He did this to avoid walking into the trap of his enemy
and to achieve that, he had to consult God
in 1 Samuel 30:8-9.
"David inquired of the Lord saying,
'Shall I pursue this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?'
And he answered him,
'Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them,
and you will certainly rescue the captives.'
So David went, he and the 600 men were with him,
and came to the Brook Besor,
there those who could not continue remained behind."
This was one of the major differences
between David and his predecessor Saul.
Saul didn't learn how to trust God as his shepherd
because he felt he was too wise to consult God
and that was one of the reasons behind his fall.
Number two, when you are afraid.
The mission of the spirit of fear is to put us
into bondage and torment.
We need God to be able to break free
from this kind of evil force.
2 Timothy 1:7 says:
"For God did not give us a spirit
of timidity or cowardice or fear,
but he has given us a spirit of power
and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline,
abilities that result in a calm,
well-balanced mind and self-control."
We cannot accomplish anything meaningful
if we are under the influence of the spirit of fear
or bound by worries for the future.
This was the reason God kept telling Joshua
to be of good courage because he knew fear would hinder him,
but courage would give him victory.
Joshua 1:6-7 says:
"Be strong and confident and courageous,
for you will give this people as an inheritance the land
which I swore to their fathers, ancestors, to give them.
Only be strong and very courageous;
be careful to do everything in accordance
with the entire law which Moses my servant commanded you;
do not turn from it to the right or to the left,
so that you may prosper and be successful wherever you go."
No wonder Joshua made a decision to serve God faithfully
and even when ahead to ask the Israelites
to decide who they would follow fearlessly.
Joshua 24:14-15 says:
"Now, therefore, fear the Lord
and serve him in sincerity and in truth;
remove the gods which your fathers served on the other side
of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
If it is unacceptable in your sight to serve the Lord,
choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve:
whether the gods which your father served
that were on the other side of the river,
or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live;
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Number three, when you can't understand
what is happening around you.
There are times we are faced
with things that we can't explain,
and it is at this point that we need more of God.
David found himself in this kind of situation
and this was why in Psalm 43:5,
he made certain statements that showed his confusion.
"Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why are you restless and disturbed within me?
Hope in God and wait expectantly for him,
for I shall again praise him.
The help of my sad countenance and my God."
It is even possible to get sad
without an explanation for the sadness,
but if the root isn't fixed by God,
it could lead to despair.
Psalm 42:3-6 says:
"My tears have been my food day and night.
While they say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'
These things I vividly remember as I pour out my soul;
how I used to go along before the great crowd of people
and lead them in procession to the house of God
like a choirmaster before his singers,
timing the steps to the music and the chant of the song.
With the voice of joy in thanksgiving,
a great crowd keeping a festival.
Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become restless and disturbed within me?
Hope in God and wait expectantly for him,
for I shall again praise him for the help of his presence.
O my God, my soul is in despair within me,
the burden more than I can bear;
therefore I will fervently remember you
from the land of the Jordan
and the peaks of Mount Hermon, for Mount Mizar."
If you ever find yourself at this point,
then you must run to the one who is our unending hope
in a seemingly hopeless world
because he always knows how to breathe life
into us and revive us.
Feeling like nothing makes sense anymore can lead
to despair and self-isolation.
Jeremiah got to this point in Jeremiah 20:14-18.
"Cursed be the day in which I was born;
do not bless the day in which my mother gave birth to me.
Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying,
'A son has been born to you," making him very glad.
And let that man be like the cities
which the Lord overthrew without regret.
Let him hear an outcry in the morning
and a shout of alarm at noon;
because he did not kill me before my birth,
so that my mother might have been my grave,
and her womb always pregnant.
Why did I come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow,
so that my days have been filled with shame?"
This hopelessness is a symptom of a life
that needs spiritual strength to carry on.
We must consciously watch what we say
and create an environment that enhances our worship of God
as this will also lift up the spirit of despair
and set us free like we see in the case of King Saul.
1 Samuel 16:14-18 says:
"Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul,
in an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and terrified him.
Saul's servants said to him,
'Behold, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
Let our Lord now command your servants
who are here before you to find a man
who plays skillfully on the harp;
and when the evil spirit from God is on you,
he shall play the harp with his hand,
and you will be well.'
So Saul told his servants,
'Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me.'
One of the young men said,
'Behold, we have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite
who is a skillful musician, a brave and competent man,
a warrior, discerning, prudent, eloquent in speech,
and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him.'"
An atmosphere of worship is very important
because it helps us draw close to God
and experience God's power to deliver like King Saul did.
1 Samuel 16:23 says:
"So it came about that whenever
the evil spirit from God was on Saul,
David took a harp and played it with his hand;
so Saul would be refreshed and be well,
and the evil spirit would leave him."
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, thank you for your loving kindness
and tender mercies that strengthen me,
even in the darkest times.
Thank you for your guidance, hope,
and assurance that gives me rest.
Lord, I need you every moment
because without you, I would lose my way,
and life would be meaningless.
In the name of Jesus,
I will never walk away from the rock of my help
but will run towards you at all times.
Amen.