Draw Near
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8
I love the book of James. Its a great practical book in the Bible. Shooting straight and telling us practically what we need to know, and to do now. This passage being a perfect example of this. It speaks to something we desire and tells us what to do.
We know we are designed to be near with God. We can look right back to the creation of the world and see how Adam and Eve walked with God daily in the garden. God designed us to be near Him, in relationship with Him. As we know sin broke that relationship. Sin separated us from God. Mankind ever since has sought to be near God, to be in right relationship with Him.
We also know that Jesus came with the purpose to bring salvation, so the relationship could be restored. He provided a way for us to draw near to God again. To be right with God.
Just like in any relationship, if you want to be close to someone you need to do some work on your part. The same is with our relationship with God. If we draw near to God, He will reciprocate and draw near to us. Drawing near to God is spending time with Him, worshiping Him, praying and talking to Him, inviting Him into every aspect of our lives.
James in his book here gives us the formula for drawing near. If you’ve committed sin, confess it, get rid of it in your life. Next, we should look to our heart, and ask the Lord to examine our heart, our motives. We need to bring our heart under His Lordship.
We are to have a single focus in Life. That focus is to be God. If we want God to draw near to us. We need to be solely focused on Him and do some work on our end to draw near to God. Dig into His word, spend time in prayer not just us talking, but listening as well. This can be hard in prayer. I know for me I can easily find myself either doing all the talking to God or getting distracted. I have to practice listening for God to speak.
God sent His Son, Jesus, so that we might know Him as we were created too. Jesus opened up permanent and eternal access to God the Father by shedding His blood once and for all. His blood paved the way to restore God’s relationship with you and me. Praise the Lord!
God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him would never perish but enjoy an eternal relationship with Him. Again, it’s all about relationship. It has always been about relationship. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God sought to reestablish the relationship with His children. Thats you and me!
There will come times in our lives when we will begin to think that God isn’t near us. This happens typically when we experience a setback, tragedy, or injustice that we believe is undeserved. Maybe the passing of a loved one, or the loss of a job.
Rest assured God is there. God has never left. God loves you and wants you to be near Him. To be in a thriving relationship with Him. It is in these tougher times that we should not look elsewhere for help. But even more so draw closer and nearer to God.
To draw near to God requires a drawing away from the world. To deny self and find life in the one who gives life. This requires us to get rid of our own strength and our own way of doing things, and put complete trust in Him to carry us through. Draw near to God today, not in your own strength, but through Christ, trusting that He will also draw nearer to you.