Chapter 16 - HOW YOU CAN DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

A TOURIST visiting an Oriental country was amazed at the religious rituals she observed at a Buddhist temple.  Although the images were not those of Mary or Christ, many or the rituals resembled those of her church back home.  For instance, she noted the use of rosaries and the chanting of prayers.  Others too have made such comparisons. East or West, the ways in which devotees try to draw close to God or to the objects of their worship are remarkably similar.

Many especially try to draw close to God by praying to him. Prayer has been described as "an act of communication by man with the sacred or holy-God, the gods, the transcendent realm, or supernatural powers." (The New Encyclopedia Britannica)  When approaching God in prayer, however, some think only in terms of what they can get out of it.  For example, a man once asked one of Jehovah's Witnesses: "If you pray for me, will the problems I have in my family, at work, and with my health be solved?" Apparently the  man thought so, but many pray and find that their problem persist.  So we might ask, 'Just why should we draw close to God?'

Next time: WHY DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

The Book - KNOWLEDGE  That Leads To Everlasting Life, 1995