Jer 30:21  I will bring him near and he will come close to me, for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?'

   

  

This is part of a prophecy about Israel coming back and being restored after the Exile. The ‘him' is a leader that the Lord will raise up. References to coming ‘near' to the Lord are not uncommon. James said, “Come near to God and he will come near to you," (Jas 4:8) which sounds a bit obvious, but perhaps is not.

 

In one sense the Lord is always with us. Wherever we go He is there. Thus the phrase, ‘come near to God' must mean, draw aside from your busy life, be still and become aware of the Lord's presence – which is there but you just aren't aware of it. Thus James' insight means seek the Lord in prayer and in waiting on Him, and you will find that He does make His presence known to you.

 

For Jeremiah's coming leader, it thus means that the Lord will draw this man's heart and make him hungry and thirsty to know God (that's the 'I will bring him near'), so that the man puts aside everything else to seek to know the Lord in experience. It is out of this that he asks the searching question, who is he who will devote himself (make it a top priority) to come into an awareness of the Lord's presence actually with him? That is the question for us in the incredible busyness of twenty-first century life: will we be one of those who takes time out to be still before the Lord to seek to be aware of Him there with us?