The One Who Draws Near To Me Is The One I Know

Today’s Word Of Encouragement From Wayne:

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him”

Nahum 1:7

I want to share a little story with you that gave me a new insight into the statement “He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

A few years ago, out in the woods at the radio cabin where I broadcasted our radio service, “Let’s Talk About Jesus”, a mother deer gave birth to four babies. On the second day of life, one of the babies was nibbling on some leaves nearby, so I cut up an apple in small thin slices and went outside. I knelt on the ground, to make myself small, and started lobbing slices towards the baby. She went straight for them and, within fifteen minutes of her gradually moving closer to me with each slice toss, she was eating directly out of my hand.

This was a bonding experience for this baby deer with myself.

Over the next few weeks and months, this baby deer would always approach me when I was outside. The mother deer, and two of her babies, would always keep their distance from me. But this baby, and one of her brothers, were very attached to me. She would lie down next to me when I was out in the yard and, during the winter when I would bring deer feed outside on a plate, she was always coming right up to me and jumping whenever I brought food outside. I called the four babies Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Joan.

So, here’s the insight I received about “He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

Once, someone was out at the cabin watching me with the deer. By this time there were a few deer feeding from the food I would put out during winter. On this day there was a group of deer together. They all pretty much looked the same.

The question I was asked was, “which deer are the ones you have befriended? How can you tell?”

My response was immediate and simple, “When they are all together in a crowd I really can’t tell. But this is what I’ve learned, the deer that draw near to me are the ones I know.”

That’s when a lightbulb turned on in my Spirit concerning the Scripture, “He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

When you and I draw near to God as his priests (1 Peter 2:9), to minister to Him and, in so doing, feed from His hand in His presence, we are showing our Lord, in real time, that we know Him. We do not keep our distance out of fear for He has delivered us from all our fears.

“I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

When we are drawn to our Lord and His provision for us, it is all about Who He is and what He has done for us. And He feeds us with His living water and bread of life. We delight and leap for joy when we see him. We draw near to His presence. We show God that we know Him, through actively drawing near to Him. So of course, it’s easy to see in this understanding that, “He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

Yes beloved, take refuge in your God today. Show Him that you know Him and love Him by actually approaching Him and feeding from His Own hand. After all, God is our “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11).

Throughout the entire professing body of Christ, worldwide, in this very moment, our Lord “knows those who take refuge in Him.” He knows those who don’t and He knows those who do.

Let us always be those “who take refuge in Him”, for in doing so we prove to our Lord, solely for His Own glory, praise, and Name’s sake, that we know Him and are grateful to know Him.

We show Him that we know Him whenever we draw near to Him, as His sheep, to be with Him in His presence. For “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever”.

Show God that you know Him by taking refuge in Him, with Him, today. He knows it and takes note of it when you do this. Feed from His right hand in His presence today. There is no fear when you realize God is for you.

Hallelujah!