Draw Near To God

Draw Near To God

Song of Songs 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee:
the king hath brought me into his chambers:
we will be glad and rejoice in thee,
we will remember thy love more than wine:
the upright love thee.

The above verse is a prayer or desire of the believer desiring to fellowship with her Lord.

I love how the Word of God uses the idea of God drawing us to Himself.

Firstly, through His death on the cross and the preaching of the Gospel:

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 3:14; 12:32 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:… And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

And then seen through the Lord working in our lives:

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:

therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

It is God’s love and lovingkindness by which He draws us to Himself:
Jeremiah 31:3

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love:

and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws,

and I laid meat unto them.
Hosea 11:4

It is interesting that the drawing starts (and continues) on God’s side, yet man has the responsibility or obligation to draw near to the Lord as well. If you are a professing Christian, are you making choices in your life to draw near to God for fellowship and worship? That is the only place to abide.

James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Hebrews 10:21-23 And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ - are you hidden in the cleft of the Rock? (See Exodus 32:12-23) Are you drawing near to your Saviour today? If so, this is what the Lord is saying to you:

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret places of the stairs,

let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice;

for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Song of Songs 2:14 

Draw near to God - as He has drawn near to you.

May 31, 2023
Jerry Bouey

True Worship

 True Worship

Many people in our day call attending a church service or listening to some music (for example, a Christian rock concert) as worshipping the Lord (ie. a worship service, praise and worship). While we certainly can worship the Lord through our singing (ie. praising Him and giving Him glory through song - of course, through God-honouring music!), but worship is not primarily that or limited to that. Many can go through the motions; and getting some feeling (or emotional high) through the music is not worship.

Basic definitions of worship, based on the words used in the Bible: to bow down or prostrate onself in humble submission/homage; glorifying the Lord through praise, prayer, and song; to serve; to kiss or adore; to revere (to have Godly fear of the Lord); to be pious towards (ie. devoted to).

Way Of Life Encyclopedia gives this definition: "To bow down; to honor; to exalt; to pay homage; to reverence."

The word worship basically means to give worth to something. What do you give worth to in your life?

As mentioned, worship involves serving, spending time with, adoration. What do you spend all your time and focus on? There are people that worship their possessions, their money and cars, themselves.

One of the words for worship in the Bible is latreuo or latreia, which means "to serve." We get our word "idolatry" from this - which is serving or revering idols (false gods), whether physical or spiritual.

Ways Of Worship:

A) Praise: Job 1:20-21 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

This is something the Bible refers to as "the sacrifice of praise" - praising the Lord when it is not easy. That is real worship.

Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

See also Jeremiah 33:11.

B) Adoration: Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Worship - "(meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore)."

- In a negative sense, regarding the world following the Antichrist:

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Worshipped - "something adored, i.e. an object of worship (god, altar, etc):--devotion, that is worshipped."

C) Service: Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

D) Fear/Reverence: Acts 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

Worshipped - "to revere, i.e. adore:--devout, religious, worship."

- Notice: Lydia did not yet know the Lord, but her reverence (fear of God) led her to pay attention to the Word of God when she heard it. Before I got saved, my fear of the Lord led me to cast off certain sins that were in my life when I was younger - but I still needed the knowledge of the truth and understanding/reception of the Gospel to worship the Lord in a manner that would please Him.

How To Worship:

1) In The Beauty Of Holiness:

Psalms 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Beauty - decoration, from a word meaning "magnificence, i.e. ornament or splendor."

Holiness - "from 6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity:--consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary."

6942: "to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)."

Psalms 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Kneel - "to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration)." Also, "praise."

2) In Spirit/Sincerity And Truth:

John 4:20-24 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

In spirit - means that our worship of God is not to be some external show, but coming from our heart, from our inner man.

- God is not limited by location. We can seek Him and worship Him anywhere.

- He is not some physical object that we make offerings or pray towards. He is a Spirit.

Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Joshua 24:14-15 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Sincerity - "entire (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth:--without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright(-ly), whole."

In truth - means that our worship of the Lord God must be according to His Word - His way. That means our worship of God the Father must be through the Son. We can't worship the Lord any old way we choose.

3) By Our Whole Life And Our Daily Service:

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Reasonable - rational, logical.

Service - Latreia, "from 3000; ministration of God, i.e. worship."

3000: "from latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), i.e. render religious homage:--serve, do the service, worship(-per)."

In Heaven for all eternity, we will be worshipping the Lord:

Revelation 4:8-11 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation 5:11-14 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Revelation 7:9-12 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 11:15-17 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

Revelation 19:1-4 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

On My Knees

On my knees I will worship
the King of heaven and earth.
Lord of all creation,
You alone are worth
More than a million diamonds,
or pearls from the sea,
For they will pass away, my Lord,
but You will always be.

When troubles come, my God,
I know You will conquer all.
You will heal my heart and rescue me
every time I fall.
In the darkest night of despair,
my Jesus, You'll pull me through.
There is no other Saviour, Lord,
there is only You.

When my heart is tempted away, Lord,
I know You will pull me back.
When riches start to sway me,
remind me there's no lack
Of Your glorious blessings.
I have no use for greed.
You are love eternal;
that is all I really need.

When the world grabs at my attention
don't let me be lured away.
All the money I can dream of
is not worth one single day
Of being without You,
my Lord, my God, my King.
You alone are worth forever,
You're worth everything!

Poem May 18th, 1994
Outline June 7, 2010
Jerry Bouey

Paved With Love

Paved With Love

Song of Songs 3:7-10

Behold his bed, which is Solomon's;

threescore valiant men are about it,

of the valiant of Israel.

They all hold swords, being expert in war:

every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

He made the pillars thereof of silver,

the bottom thereof of gold,

the covering of it of purple,

the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

The whole Song Of Solomon is a love song about fellowship between Solomon and his espoused (ie. engaged) bride. Solomon is a type or picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the espoused bride represents the believer who has placed their faith in Him. Every aspect of this song pictures our relationship and fellowship with the Lord from the moment of coming to Jesus for salvation, and ending with us eagerly awaiting His return to take His bride to the wedding feast and to the mansions He has prepared for her.

The bed/chariot that Solomon is riding in is the vehicle that carried him through this world and brought him to his espoused bride. The description is interesting because his chariot has the same materials and symbolism as the tabernacle and temple - all of which picture the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Dwelt is a Greek word that literally means “tabernacled.” It is Strong’s #4637, “from 4636; to tent or encamp, i.e. (figuratively) to occupy (as a mansion) or (specially), to reside (as God did in the Tabernacle of old, a symbol of protection and communion).” Strong’s #4636 means, “a hut or temporary residence, i.e. (figuratively) the human body (as the abode of the spirit): — tabernacle.”

The Son of God tabernacled among us. His physical body was the temple of God while Jesus Christ was here on earth. This was the vehicle or vessel He came to earth in and dwelt during His earthly ministry (ie. wherein His deity resides - since Jesus’ incarnation, He is now BOTH God and Man forever).

John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.

Song of Songs 3:9-10

King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

He made the pillars thereof of silver,

the bottom thereof of gold,

the covering of it of purple,

the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

Cedar is an aromatic wood, incorruptible, durable. His chariot is made out of the same wood as the temple. Jesus is the pure, spotless, sinless Son of God.

Hebrews 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

The pillars are made of silver - silver pictures redemption. The whole reason Jesus was born in Bethlehem was so He could grow up and die for our sins upon the cross - to redeem fallen man.

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The bottom of this chariot is made of gold - gold pictures deity. Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

The covering of his chariot is purple - purple represents kingship. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The midst of this chariot is paved with love. The whole motivation for Jesus going to Calvary was His great love for us.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

The love of God. The reason for Christ coming down to earth, being born in a manger, dwelling among us, shedding His blood and dying for our sins upon the cross, and rising again from the dead. Nothing can separate His children from His love.

Romans 8:35, 37-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is the motivation for many a hymn of worship and praise. Consider the following:

The Love Of God

(Words and Music: Frederick M. Lehman)

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.

Chorus:

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure

The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,

When men, who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call,

God’s love so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—

The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

Song of Songs 3:11

Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon

with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him

in the day of his espousals,

and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

One day - hopefully soon - the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for His bride. 

Song of Songs 8:14

Make haste, my beloved,

and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart

upon the mountains of spices.

Are you ready to meet Him?

Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Devotional February 28th, 2026

Jerry Bouey