Deuteronomy 13:4
“You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”
Moses tells the people how they are to be with The Lord. He inserts a new phrase, “cling to Him”. This rings of closeness. Up to this point, God has been presented as powerful, one to be feared, yet trustworthy. When the people were at the mountain, they were terrified and asked if Moses could be their intermediary (Exodus 20:19). They didn’t want to be close with God.
We are to fear God. We are to respect Him and to walk in obedience. We are to bow our knees to Him. The people had gotten that part. They were to proceed to the next level.
God wants to be close with us. He relates to us as a father. The word cling necessitates closeness. We need this. Children should have affection. This builds a security and comfort within the relationship and within the self. We are to cling to God.
Jesus had this relationship with His disciples. He was challenging the crowds in John chapter six. Many left Him. He turned to the twelve and asked if they would also leave. Peter said in verse 68, “Where can we go? Only You have the words of eternal life.” Leaving wasn’t an option. They were clinging to Jesus.
We are to cling to Him always; especially in difficult times. In the previous paragraph the disciples were distressed with Jesus’ challenge. However, they knew He could be trusted. He would work in out. They continued to cling to Him.
We also need to trust The Lord with our days. We will be confused and frustrated. We won’t feel close to The Lord. Yet, He’s there. Cling to Him by faith. He says, “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). We need to go to Him in prayer and bible reading.
Lord, thank You that You can be trusted. Help us to cling to You.