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How to be Nearer to God?

God is always near; alas, we are far!

By Nab B.

November 17, 2022

(updated Sep 17, 2025)

Of all human topics and subjects, none is more important to the heart of a true seeker than the creator GOD Himself. Everything else pales into insignificance! But the carnal mind of man has: “Exchanged the truth about God [His existence] for a lie and worshiped and served the creature [man's many toys] rather than the Creator.” (Rom 1:25)

Humans busied themselves with everything under the sun, but not with knowing God. Shouldn’t God, the Giver of life, be the object of our devotion and the centre of life? One reason is that most people feel God is too far from them; too far to even exist. Feeling distant breeds alienation in man's mind.

God is Not Limited By Space and Matter

"God is Spirit," and as such, He is not limited by time, space or distance. Space has to do with matter, and God is independent of both matter and space. He is not spatially near or remote that even,

“Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain [God].”

( 2 Chronicles 6:18)

God is infinite, and as such, He swallows up all space and matter. He is not contained, but contains ALL THINGS, including you, me, and everything else is in Him, whether we know it or not!

Why do I feel Alienated from God?

Our feeling of alienation isn't His doing; it's our fallen nature barring us from Him. His nature and ours are hostile to each other. If there is no moral likeness, there’s no communication, and God's presence will be veiled.

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Rom 8:7)

Despite this, God is nearer to us than we are to ourselves and ready to communicate if we truly SEEK Him:

“That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.” (Acts 17:27)

God's Presence

isn't through the Five Senses!

A caution is needed: Nearness to God is not experienced through our five senses! He is not limited or bound by our physical senses. Those demanding to see, hear, feel, or touch God so they can believe are greatly mistaken. Our gateway to His presence is through the human spirit and the mind.

Does God want us to be near Him? Not only does He want, but is willing to share His “Divine Nature” with all true believers, as He does with His Son. We are talking about a real spiritual experience (in this life) which permits a human to be in God's presence, a feat larger than life itself. When this happens, we can “Become partakers of God’s divine nature”. (2 Pet 1:3-4).

How to Restore Nearness To God

Let me quote A. W. Tozer’s words on how to have an encounter with God or be near Him:

“If we lost communication (with God)...trust Him in the dark till the light returns. Persist in prayer and faith. Put away evil thoughts and wrong attitudes. These are unlike God and create a gulf between God and us. By doing this, eventually, the sense of nearness will be restored. God was never away in the first place. A saint has switched from their little human batteries to the infinite power of God. He has quite literally exchanged weakness for strength, but the strength is not his; it flows into him from God as long as he abides in Christ. “They that wait upon the Lord shall exchange their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31)

If you still struggle with who God is or with His infinite powers, observe His wondrous universe. And when you do, look intently to see God's face, character, mightiness, and eternal powers; not so much the thing you're looking at, but look through it and towards Him.

Even atheists are shocked and awed by the beauty and perfection of His creation (though they deny Him). The question is, shouldn’t we be moved beyond awe and admiration to come close to His Being? I believe the beauty of the whole universe and everything it contains is God's gentle whisper, a celestial song into our souls and spirits, inviting us to seek Him and, in ecstatic joyfulness, bend our knees before Him.

But dark forces are blinding most from seeing Him. Yet, somehow, God is still confident that some, alas, a few, of us will search for Him, out of sheer love and nothing else!

There's a stark contrast between one who wants to know about God (as in theology, the study of God) and one who desires to know God relationally and intimately! One wants information about God; the other wants God Himself. The latter is the blessed one!