HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Genesis 18:23
The patriarch’s attitudes are well worthy of note:
- he sat (Genesis 18:1),
- bowed (Genesis 18:2),
- ran (Genesis 18:7),
- stood by (Genesis 18:8),
- went with them (Genesis 18:16),
- stood before the Lord (Genesis 18:22);
here, he drew near.
He drew near with awful reverence. ” I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.” The place whereon he stood was holy ground; and if he trod or crossed it, in the intensity of his desire, he never forgot that the most intimate fellowship of man with God must be mingled with the reverence of godly fear, which remembers that He is a consuming fire.
He drew near in faith. He had enjoyed a blessed prevision of the day of Christ. There had been revealed to Him that one perfect and sufficient Sacrifice, in virtue of which sinners are welcome to draw near to God. They have the boldness to enter the holiest and draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, who know the new and living way which Jesus has opened for us.
He drew near as intercessor. We never get so near God as when we plead for others. At such times we enter the holiest and innermost chamber and talk to Him with an urgency which we dare not use for ourselves. Whilst the Syrophenician pleaded for her daughter, she came to the very feet of Jesus. Would thou know the inner chamber? Go thither on errands for others. When there is a desperate moment it takes a desperate person to enter and plead on your behalf even though death is imminent. When it was your time, mine time Jesus did not retreat, but forward was the command of the God we were approaching. That was the order and the only thing Jesus was seeing before Him, was the Cross. He has you and me in His mind, heart and soul. He was pleading our case before the Father and the final outcome was going to be death. Hallelujah
He drew near in Intensity. When Haman pleaded for his life, he fell on the Queen’s couch in the anguish of his soul. Sometimes God appears to hesitate; it is only to draw us on, ever further and deeper, till we awake to find ourselves alone in His presence. There comes a time in our lives when we have to draw near to our destiny and whatever is standing in the way becomes obsolete. Nothing is going to stand between you and your freedom or your destiny. O, Hallelujah, nothing between my soul and the Saviour. I am going forward to claim what is mine and nothing is going to hinder me from the promise of the Father.
It takes faith to get to your destination and that is what God wants from us to walk in obedience to the fulfilment of His word. Where are you standing today?
