In case it is not obvious, I am a ‘word’ person who puts value in finding the exact word to describe something, or give directions, or relate an event, etc. While this can be a subjective activity, using a dictionary is important as is considering the context. For instance, if I say “bark” am I talking about a tree, telling a dog to speak, describing the dog’s response, giving a recipe for candy, or describing the way my brother-in-law gives orders? Or something else?
This comes into play with many English words but also words in other languages. In Mandarin, the same word can have several meanings depending on how it is pronounced. One example is xing, a form of consent as in, "okay, let's do that" but can express movement, popular trend, or travel. A change in pronunciation can mean a row or rows, or profession, or bank, or even the direct translation, "silver business".
This morning, the concordance caught my attention with DRAW. As an artist, I think of a pencil but also think of drawing water from a well or pulling names at random from a hat to pick the winner of a prize, or even a soccer game ending with a 1-1 score. How does DRAW apply to God?
Most of the Bible references refer to God calling people to draw near to Him, but there are some exceptions. In the OT, this verse caught my eye. It is talking about an enemy army that is threatening God’s people:
And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” (Judges 4:7)
The Hebrew word is about “causing to move in a certain direction by exerting a force upon, either physically or in an abstract sense” and reminds me of all the times I have prayed that God would move people, such as political leaders, in a certain way. He has the power to do that — one good reason why we are supposed to pray for those in leadership, even for God to move others in the right way.
Another verse talks about God Himself doing the moving. The psalmist makes the request:
Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies! (Psalm 69:17–18)
And the Lord says this using the same word:
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:5)
Even though God is omnipresent, in a special sense He draws near to His people to save us from the threats that surround us. How good to know that He is our ally!
The Lord also can “attract powerfully, conceived of as drawing a heavy object out of something with great effort.” Jesus said:
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)
This Greek word tells me that when I pray asking God to draw people to the saving power of His Son, it will take great effort to do it. In other words, the salvation of souls is not a ‘snap of the fingers’ task -- it takes the full power of God to accomplish the task. That power and effort were demonstrated at the Cross:
Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I (Jesus), when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:31–33)
The good news is that when sinners respond to that power, God responds to their movement towards Him. Using that same word, the Bible says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8)
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. I am humble that God even bothered to save me, that He used great effort to deliver my soul and bring me to saving faith. This word choice also makes me realize that when I pray for others, I’m asking God to put that same “great effort” into attracting them in a powerful way from sin to faith in Jesus. It may take a while, and even though I say “whatever it takes” I do not always think of the cost in effort this is for Him. After all, we have all sinned against Him so why should He make any effort to draw us away from our selfishness to serve Him? But He does, and for that my heart is full of adoration. Drawing near takes effort for me too yet I am even more eager to keep on praying that He will keep on attracting people to Himself.
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