How to be Nearer to God? 

God is always near; alas, we are far!

By Nab B. 

November 17, 2022

updated Oct, 2025

Of all human subjects, none is nearer to the heart of a true seeker than the creator GOD Himself. Nothing comes close! 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, except knowing God. Shouldn’t 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 and space. Space has to do with matter, and God is independent of both matter and space. He is not spatially near or remote. Solomon, who had seen the glory of God, had this to say, “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 known to us 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, unfelt.

"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: 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 to believe are greatly mistaken. Our gateway to His presence is through our human spirit and the mind.

But does God want us to be near Him? Not only does He want, He is willing to share His “Divine Nature” with all true seekers, just as He does with His Son. It is a real spiritual experience (in this life). It permits a human to be in God's presence, called a "Paradise," a feat larger than life itself. If this happens, you “Become partakers of God’s divine nature”. (2 Pet 1:3-4). If anything, it is a testimony that God wants "nothing but the best" for you and me.

Restore your 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) 

Do you still struggle with who God is or with His infinite powers? I'd say go out, observe His wondrous universe, look everywhere—alone. And when you do, look to see the face of God; His character, wisdom, perfection, beauty, and eternal powers. Don't look so much at the thing you're looking at, but look through it and towards Him. Slow down to meet Him.

Even atheists are shocked and awed by the beauty and perfection of His creation (though they deny Him). If what He made is so beautiful and perfect, how much more is His Being? Shouldn't we be moved in awe and admiration to come, even a little, to His Being? The beauty of the whole universe and everything in it is God's gentle whisper, His celestial melody into our souls, inviting us to know Him and, in ecstatic joyfulness, bend our knees before Him.

But dark forces blind most of us from seeing Him as He is. 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 (theologically) and one who desires to know God (relationally)! One wants information about God; the other wants God Himself. The latter is the blessed one!

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