Draw Near to God

Draw Near to God and He Will
Draw Near to You

Where did our Lenten and Holy Week theme come from? Jeanne Olsen fills us in.

It was just after Holy Week last year. I had been praying for folks I had hoped would come to our Holy Week services. Some of them did, some of them didn’t. But our services had been so good! I hoped that somehow, more people would attend next year.

Then I had a dream. First I saw the words “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” Then I saw that they were written on a yard sign, and then I either heard a voice saying this, or I said this with great certainty to myself, “We need to put this verse on all our invitations to Holy Week next year. This is what Kenosha residents need to hear.”

Then I woke up, and I immediately knew the dream had been from God. I’m a “word” person, and impressions I get from the Lord are more often in words than in pictures, so that was a clear indication. But also, I awoke with absolute confidence that God had just spoken to me. There was no haziness or rambling quality like most of my dreams; the dream was uncharacteristically short and absolutely clear in my mind.

What does it mean that Kenosha residents need to hear this? I believe that in Kenosha, we have a large number of people who had faith as children or were raised in homes where there was faith. They have a sense that God is there, but they know they are living their lives ignoring Him. They may have thoughts of reconnecting with Him, someday…but after all the years of disconnection, what would that even look like?

If they drive past one of our yard signs, I pray that this truth from Scripture will begin to penetrate:  that they are never so far from God that they can’t take a step toward Him…and He will respond. Perhaps seeing this verse will remind someone to pray, or to open up that Bible on their shelf, or to return to church. Perhaps it will cause them to consider the question:  Where am I in relation to God–near or far?

Perhaps this verse will be the only bit of Scripture they encounter during Lent and Easter. God promises that “My word…will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

And we hope that some will respond to the invitation to attend one of our Holy Week services. If they seek God at Light of Christ, I trust that they will find that He is very near indeed.

Who can you invite to draw near to God this Holy Week?