Come Near to God

Come near to God and He will come near to you. James 4:8

Do you feel close to God at this time in your life? I am sure all of us have gone through periods when we have felt closer to Him than at other times. I love this old story which might shed some light on those times when we haven’t.

A farmer and his wife were driving to town in their pickup truck. The farmer was sitting behind the steering wheel in silence; his wife was sitting on the other side of the cab against the door. After several miles the wife said, “Jed, when we first got married we didn’t sit this far apart.” The old farmer dryly replied, “I ain’t the one that moved.” 

Could this be true of us? Have we moved away from Him? Just as our personal relationships take time, effort, and devotion, so does our relationship with God. Perhaps we have been so busy, so preoccupied with life that He has just been a passing thought. Or maybe life has been so good that we haven’t really needed Him and called out to Him in prayer. But isn’t it sad to think that we would be willing to settle for such an empty relationship with God when we could have so much more?

He has indeed promised more, and one of those promises is that the nearer we draw to Him, the nearer He will come to us. God seeks and desires to have a loving relationship with each of us, and each one is personal, unique, and our own. He wants to spend time with us in prayer and in quiet reflection. He wants us to come to Him when we are in need and He longs to give us His blessings. And the more time we spend with Him, the more He will reveal Himself and His love and grace to us.

God loves us unconditionally, and He has done amazing things to draw us nearer to Him. He has given us His Son, His Spirit to live in us, and His Word to guide and comfort us.

“Come near to God and He will come near to you”. We may have doubts and questions, but this truth is really the only one that truly matters. Everything else will fall into place and the answers will come when we find His loving presence and begin to trust in Him.

Prayer

Dear God, we are so grateful that we know you, can call upon you, and that you will hear us and answer with love, compassion, and assurance. Help us to know you more, to seek you and love you with all our hearts, souls, and minds. Amen

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