In John 6:44, Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” But what does that mean? Who does the Father draw and how does He do it?
While sometimes we try to make the answer complicated, it’s actually rather simple. In fact, Jesus gives us the answer in the next verse, where He quotes the Old Testament prophets. He says, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”
God draws people by teaching them about Himself. And if we really pay attention, we will find ourselves fixated on Him. When we really understand who He is, why would we not come to Him?
Let’s consider four ways that God draws people to Himself.
First, He draws through His creation.
God draws us through His Creation
This is what we call “general revelation.” You may have gazed at a beautiful sunset and thought, “Wow!” Or maybe you’ve looked at satellite pictures that show the immensity of the universe, or tried to understand how things work at the quantum level—so small that it is invisible even to our high-tech equipment. All of this should draw us to the God who created it.
All we have to do is look around us, and we can see that there is a higher power that designed all this. It’s like God is saying, “Look at me!” So, when we reject Him and do what we know is wrong, we are without excuse, as Romans 1:20 tells us.
The second way that God draws us to Himself is through His Word.
God draws us through His Word
This is what we call “special revelation.” Remember when you used to write love notes to try to get the attention of that cute girl or boy in third grade? You might have described all the good things about yourself. That’s what God did for us—He gave us a written message about Himself that we call the Bible. But it’s more than a love note—it’s a message that explains the terrible situation we are in and what He did to rescue us from it.
The third way God draws us to Himself is through his messengers.
God draws us through His messengers
In the Old Testament, He sent prophets reveal His power, His love, His justice, and His mercy. He also has sent many others since then—the Apostles, pastors, missionaries, and all of us who have ever shared His message with anyone else.
Finally, God draws us through His Son, who is Jesus.
God draws us through His Son
Hebrews 1 tells us that “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.”
Of course, we can’t sit down and have coffee with Jesus, but we can read about Him. We can read about the miracles He did and how He lived without sin.
Most importantly, we can read about His resurrection, that proved who He was. He said in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” When He says, “lifted up,” He was referring to being lifted up on the cross. His death was the ultimate sacrifice of love, which should draw us to Himself.
So, God draws us to Himself through His creation, His Word, His messengers, and His Son. But if His drawing is so compelling, why doesn’t everyone come to Him?
Jesus answered that question for us. He said in John 6:45, “Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” It’s not enough just to hear—we have to hear and learn. He’s given us enough information to hear. It’s up to us to be willing to learn.
When we consider His creation, His Word, His messengers, and His Son, we have to make a choice; we can accept Him or reject Him. He’s done His part. Now it’s up to us to do ours.
