closeness again with Jesus

[Khoestead]

I just want prayer for my heart to be open to being close with the Lord again. I have felt empty since not speaking with Him and I just miss spending time with Him. the enemy has brought many obstacles in my life that have come bbetween me and my relationship with God and it's made me feel like my spirit has dimed. thank you and God bless you all

 

[Articles]

We hear the longing in your heart and we join with you in this desire to be close to Jesus again, for we know that emptiness you describe is the soul thirsting for Him who alone can satisfy. We thank you for sharing this so honestly and we stand with you in prayer that your heart would be opened and softened to His presence once more.

We are encouraged that you recognize it is the enemy who has placed obstacles between you and the Lord, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces that seek to draw us away. Yet we take comfort that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world, 1 John 4:4, and that no scheme of the enemy can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 8:38-39. The Lord has not moved away from you. He promises I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you, Hebrews 13:5, and even when we feel our spirit has dimmed, He remains faithful and near to those with a broken heart, Psalm 34:18.

The beautiful promise we cling to for you is Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you, James 4:8. Your very desire to return to Him is evidence that He is already drawing you. He says You will seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart, Jeremiah 29:13. He has not grown weary of you. Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks even now, and if you hear His voice and open the door, He will come in and fellowship with you, Revelation 3:20.

We want to encourage you to make a quiet, intentional time each day to simply be with Him again, even if it feels small at first. Come honestly in confession and worship, asking Him to Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me, Psalm 51:10, and to restore the joy of your salvation. Read His Word and pray even when the feeling is not there, trusting that feelings follow obedience. Put on the full armor of God so you may stand against the schemes of the enemy, Ephesians 6:11, and remember it is good for us to come close to God, Psalm 73:28.

We pray together for you now.

Father, in the name of Jesus we lift up this precious heart to You and we thank You that You hear our prayer. Lord, we ask that You would open this heart fully to You again and remove every obstacle and distraction the enemy has placed in the way. Forgive any season of distance and wash away all heaviness. Fill the emptiness with Your Holy Spirit and Your peace that surpasses understanding. Rekindle the fire within and restore the joy of intimate fellowship with You. Help our dear one to seek You with all their heart, to hear Your voice clearly again, and to find rest in spending time in Your presence. Draw them close and let them know without doubt that they are loved, seen, and held by You. We ask that You would make Your nearness tangible each day and lead them back into the sweetness of walking closely with Jesus. We pray all of this according to Your perfect will in the mighty and saving name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our only way to the Father. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We are grateful you shared this so honestly. That ache and emptiness you describe when you have not been talking with the Lord is understandable, and the fact you miss Him shows your heart is still turned toward Him even when it feels dim.

One thing that has helped many of us is to think of coming close again not as trying harder all at once, but as training gently over time. Like preparing for a long run, small regular steps matter more than one big effort. God works through those steady, simple practices as we keep showing up, even in little ways, and He sees us as works in progress.

If it would help, you might choose one small, sustainable rhythm for this week rather than a long list. For example, set aside ten minutes at the same time each day to simply be with the Lord, speak honestly about how you feel, and read slowly through a Psalm or a few verses in the Gospels. If you miss a day, just begin again the next day without guilt. Sometimes sharing that rhythm with one trusted believer or joining a small group for prayer can also make it easier to stay close.

We are praying for you and we join you in asking the Lord to draw near again.

Father, we lift our friend to You in Jesus name. Open their heart to Your presence, quiet the obstacles that have come between, and rekindle that closeness they long for. Help them to hear Your love again in quiet moments and to know You are near. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your longing to be close to the Lord again is itself a gracious sign that He has not left you, but is drawing you. The emptiness you feel is the hunger of a soul that was made for fellowship with God, and no other food will sustain it. As it is written, truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ, and that fellowship is not a thing past but present, for those who have believed and have been washed in the precious blood have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Take your text as a bundle of sweet spices to perfume your heart, God with us. God alone might strike us with terror, but God with us inspires hope and confidence. If Jesus Christ is God with us, then let us come to God without any question or hesitancy. The enemy may cast obstacles in the way, and your spirit may feel dimmed, but if God be for us, who can be against us. Things impossible with men are possible with God, and the best of all is God with us.

Hear how tenderly Jesus speaks to His own when they are weary and cold and hungry. He says, Come and break your fast. He is thoughtful of your wants and He spreads the old food with which He always fed His people, bread with a relish of fish, pleasant and easy to digest. You need stamina if you are to do hard and long work and to endure trial, and there is no keeping up the stamina without heavenly food. It is important, considering your present condition, that you should have a meal with Jesus at once. Come along, though conscious of unworthiness, for He invites you now to feast with Him, and to partake with believing confidence.

The way back to nearness is the way of a man of God alone with God. The Psalmist said, I have declared my ways, and Thou heardest me, teach me Thy statutes. Go alone and declare your ways unto the Lord. Tell Him plainly of this emptiness, of the distance you have felt, of the obstacles that have come between you. He hears such prayer. Private prayer may degenerate into a mere form unless communion with God is in it, indeed it is nothing unless God is there, but when the heart truly declares itself, God hears. This is how power with God is exercised by Christians. It takes the shape of prayer, and it requires simple faith. Nobody who doubts can prevail with God, but he who comes with childlike trust finds that he has power with God and therefore peace.

May the Lord now restore to you that real contact with Jesus which deep waters cannot drown. He does not save the worthy but the unworthy, and your plea must not be righteousness but need. He is not ashamed of you, even when you are ashamed of yourself.

Let us pray for you. O Lord our God, look upon this hungering soul who misses communion with Thee and feels empty without Thy presence. Thou art God with us in Christ Jesus, and through His blood we have access with boldness. Forgive all wanderings and coldness, and draw this heart back to Thyself. Give a tender conscience, a simple faith, and a renewed delight in secret prayer. Spread Thy table and cause this Thy child to come and dine with Jesus, and to be nourished and strengthened. Teach Thy statutes, keep this soul walking humbly with Thee on Monday and Tuesday as well as on the Sabbath, and let Thy presence be its sanctifier and joy. Restore the light that seems dim, for Thou givest Thy beloved sleep and Thou givest Thy beloved bread. Let fellowship be restored and let joy in God by Jesus Christ return. In the name of Jesus our only Saviour we ask it, Amen.