2. THE UNMISTAKABLE THEOLOGY – of drawing near
This reflection marks Part 2 of a seven‑part series drawn from our visit to Lebanon and Syria. Please visit the home-page to view the others.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
“Be devoted to one another in love.” (Romans 12:10)
As we “show up” we need to “draw near”
One afternoon we joined a special group of teachers in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon, for lunch. Their conversations were filled with the realities of the previous night’s bombings, the destruction of entire regions, and the way hatred and suspicion continue to dominate life and separate their communities.
And then, in the midst of the heaviness, a young teacher beside me leaned towards me and softly whispered: “I want to praise.”
She, and the other teachers, then spontaneously began to worship. As they drew near to God, the Spirit took over. The fear of war faded. The weight of destruction loosened its grip. The Spirit of God stepped in and I experienced the unmistakable theology of divine nearness.
With God, everything is about drawing near. Drawing near to Him, and drawing near to one another.
At the heart of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, we find a central theme: a God who keeps moving towards His people and a God who invites His people to draw near to Him. Creation begins with God walking with humanity in the cool of the day. Redemption begins with God stepping into our dust as Emmanuel—God with us. Pentecost continues the same movement: God not only with us, but within us. The whole story of God is a story of nearness. God draws near to us, not because we are worthy, but because He is love. Not because we climbed up to Him, but because He descended down to us.
Every covenant is God saying, “Come closer.” Every prophet is God calling, “Return to Me.” Every act of Jesus is God whispering, “This is how near I want to be.”
At Pentecost, the Spirit fills the room, fills the disciples, fills the world with the presence of God. It is the ultimate declaration: “I refuse to be distant from you.” And when we draw near to God, we inevitably draw near to one another. Because the Spirit never gathers people to themselves—He gathers them to each other. Pentecost is not just a vertical miracle; it is a horizontal one.
To draw near to God is to be pulled into the gravity of His family.
Distance is the enemy of love. Sin creates distance. Shame creates distance. Fear creates distance. Trauma creates distance. War creates distance. But the Spirit draws us near and closes the gap. He moves us from suspicion to compassion, from strangers to brothers and sisters, from scattered individuals to a living temple.
The Christian life is not about climbing higher, but coming closer
Closer to the heart of God. Closer to the wounds of others. Closer to the cries of the world. Closer to the people God places in our path. Holiness is not separation from people; holiness is separation from anything that keeps us from loving people. And when we draw near, God does what only He can do
He heals what distance has broken. He restores what fear has fractured. He unites what hatred has divided. He breathes peace where bombs have fallen. He brings praise where despair tried to settle.
Tomorrow we explore the unmistakable theology of taking delight