O for a Closer Walk with God

The title of this blogpost is taken from the opening line of hymn by William Cowper (1731-1800). Here is the first verse:

O FOR a closer walk with God,
a calm and heavenly frame,
a light to shine upon the road
that leads me to the Lamb!

And the last verse, verse 6.

So shall my walk be close with God,
calm and serene my frame;
so purer light shall mark the road
that leads me to the Lamb.

I love Reformed theology, Reformed ecclesiology, systematic theology, the whole of the Bible and my historic biblical and Reformed heritage. However, the crucial part of it all, is that we cultivate a loving communion with the Triune God. Our prayer postures in the "secret place" of prayer should include at times kneeling as an act of submission or being prostrate before the Lord as a sign of submission at times and a heart being poured out before the throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 62:8, Ephesians 3:14, Deut 9:25). Look at Moses on Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy 9:25-26 "So I lay prostrate before the LORD for these forty days and forty nights, because the LORD had said he would destroy you. And I prayed to the LORD ...".

How is your communion with the Living God? We need Christians to be refreshed and revived in their personal communion with the Covenant LORD. This does not replace the public means of grace, but it should supplement and undergird the public means by the private means of grace.

Listen to the Lord Jesus Christ: Mark 6:30-32 "The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves".


We need to come apart from the distractions of the internet, TV, sports and so forth, in order to be renewed in our communion with the LORD. Oh to be restored in our first love!

We often talk of revival, but our own lives need to be revived before the Living God with renewed holiness. Holiness meaning being set apart for the Lord Jesus Christ. Iain Murray wrote this in his recent book "Seven Leaders" in reference to the life of John Elias.

"Thomas Charles and John Elias were of one mind on the remedy for this [a spiritual dullness with a loss of vigour in the church]. It is not speaking more about revival or the Holy Spirit, but renewed faith and renewed communion with the Lord Jesus Christ" (page 41).

Oh for renewed communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit lead and guide the church into renewed faith and renewed communion with the Lord. Amen.