Drawing Near to the Rewarder

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6, ESV).

Do you desire to please God? Through this Scripture, He shares with us one of the key ways to do so. It’s this: simply to believe that He is going to reward our seeking. When you draw near to Him, anticipating that He is going to reward you, that delights His heart. It shows that you know Him well. How He loves to be known!

As the NKJV renders this same verse, He is a rewarder. Rewarding those who seek Him is not just what He does; it’s who He is. It’s His very nature. It brings Him great joy to respond to us when we pray… and to respond with palpable results.

When you set your heart to pray, be expectant. Expect that something important is going to happen during your special time of connecting with your heavenly Father. Perhaps He will reward you with a tangible answer to your prayer, soon observable in your natural circumstances. Perhaps He will reward you with an increased awareness of His nearness and His love. Perhaps He will reward you with abiding peace to protect your heart in the midst of an ongoing trial.

Whatever shape it may take, anticipate that the Rewarder will lavish His goodness on you. As you draw near to Him, the more He will draw near to you. Ultimately you will discover the greatest prize of all. As Abram did, you will hear Him speaking to your heart, “I am… your exceedingly great reward” (Gen. 15:1, NKJV).

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Have you experienced God rewarding you recently? What did that look like?