September 3, 2009 in Issue 3 2009 ~Daughterhood By Design ~by Allison Terwilliger~ I love the Proverb that says, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). I know that Jesus wants to be this kind of Friend to each one of us. But how can we become that close to Someone whom we have never seen? And how can we know His will for us in every area of our lives? This is something that I have struggled with, but I have been blessed by recognizing the importance of five tools that I believe have helped me draw closer to the Lord. His Word Prayerfully reading God’s Word is first and foremost. Just think of it! The Bible is a letter from God, straight to us! It is a blessing that we should never take for granted. Taking time alone with Him each morning in personal devotions is of utmost importance. A wonderful place to start knowing more about our Lord is in the four gospels. Read about the time He spent on this earth. It is good for us to take time to contemplate the fact that He gave up heaven to come here. He was born in an incredibly humble birthplace and died a criminal’s death—all for us, that we may be saved! Infinite love! When I study through the Bible, I also like to take note of God’s character traits. There are so many verses that pertain to this. One of my favorites is in the story of Moses when he is on the mountain and asks to see God. God says that He will hide him in the rock and cover him with His Hand and then Moses will be able to see His back. As the Lord passes by, it is proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth…” (Exodus 34:6). That is a wonderful picture of our Lord! Prayer Just as important as spending time with the Lord in His Word, is spending time with Him in prayer. Now I do not mean a quick memorized prayer that can become habitual and un-thought-through. I am referring to talking with Him as your best Friend and letting Him speak to you. You may say, “Well, I have tried that before and I just can’t hear Him.” I know exactly what you mean! Most of the time, I cannot hear Him saying anything audible either. But this does not mean He is not there. It could be that I am not listening, though I may think that I am. It also could mean that I am just listening for a moment and concluding that He must not have anything to say to me at the time, and then going on with the day. We need to learn what to listen for. God may not always speak audibly, but He longs to impress our minds with His thoughts through the Holy Spirit. The Bible says: “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10). This shows us that we need to take time to spend with our Lord, listening, without anything hurrying us to end our time in prayer. Reminding ourselves of prayers that He has answered in the past is another way to enrich our prayer life and to recognize how wonderful our Heavenly Father is. I enjoy writing down in my journal special answers to prayer, so that in times to come I can look back at previous answers and remind myself to wait on the Lord. I can see how this would especially be an encouragement if we would ever go through a time when we feel like our prayers are not being answered. Nature In Ecclesiastes 12:1 we read, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth…” A wonderful way to remember our Creator is to study His creation. His wisdom and power are so wonderfully shown. One of our family’s favorite things to ponder in the natural world, which shows the Lord’s omnipotence, is that He combined two flammable elements—hydrogen and oxygen—and made a substance that puts out fires—water! Our Heavenly Father can be seen in so many places in nature. Looking at the majestic mountains shows us our Lord’s power and greatness; and looking at tiny flowers and sweet new babies can teach us of His tenderness and perfect design. Seeing the pristinely white snow can remind us that though our “sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” (Isaiah 1:18). We only need to ask in faith and to trust in His forgiveness. Then we may go on in newness of life, “as white as snow!” Praise God!! In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that by looking at nature we can learn to trust in our Heavenly Father’s care for us. We read in Matthew chapter 6: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they….So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these…Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things (Matthew 6:26, 28, 29, 34). I would encourage you, whenever you can, to spend time out in nature, looking for these incredible examples that display the love of the Lord. Parents Here is a wonderful resource that God has so graciously given us! Our parents can help us so much in drawing closer to God. My mother and I usually have our personal morning devotions in the same room. We are both reading something different, silently, just being with the Lord, but I always enjoy, when I read something extra wonderful, to share it with my mom, and I also love to have her share with me things she has read. Recently my dad and I had to run some errands together and I shared with him something that I had been struggling with. He had some wonderful insight and I so appreciated being able to talk to him. We have to remember that in order for our parents to help us draw closer to our heavenly Father, we need to listen to what they say. If our parents are committed to doing what the Lord wants them to, though they make mistakes because they are human, they can definitely help lead us in the way of the Lord if we will just listen. Friends Friends are another important resource that can either draw us closer to the Lord, or lead us away from Him. Remember, by beholding we are changed. If we desire to come into a deeper relationship with the Lord, we need to spend time with friends who have the same goal. I am so thankful for friends who love the Lord. It is definitely something that boosts my Christian experience. One thing we all must keep in mind though, even in Christian friendships, is that we are never to look at others as our example or pattern to follow. We must only look to Jesus—our perfect Pattern!! Friends may let us down, but our heavenly Father is perfect in every way. Let us all keep pressing on to become more closely connected to our heavenly Father, and someday—very soon—we will be able to spend eternity with our Savior, Redeemer, and very best Friend! Allison Terwilliger is 19 years old. She lives in Union Bridge, MD with her parents and her younger brother, Zachary. She likes spending time with family and friends, as well as playing the piano, cooking, and enjoying time in nature. All Scripture in this article taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Visit Daughterhood by Design.org!