Come Close to God

 By: Joanne Viola

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
(James 4:8, NLT)

We so want for God to be close to us, to feel His Presence with us throughout the day. Jesus, in commissioning His disciples, promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, NASB).

Looking more closely at this Scripture lately, I discovered for God to  come close to me is dependent upon my coming close to Him. The verse also gives us insight as to what our actions need to be as we come close.

We need a whole heart, or to be wholehearted, our loyalty undivided. Beginning each day with God on the pages of His Word, reading a devotional, and prayer is one way to align our souls with God. It’s an exercise of faith which says, “I’m drawing close to You, as I desire for You to come close to me.”

Coming close to God also is an expression of childlike faith. Much the way a child draws near to a parent for strength, comfort, and provision, we come close to God, our Father.

Confession clears our hearts of blockages in our relationship with God. When our hearts our loyal, they are solely fixed on God.

Jesus has promised never to leave us. Even if we should not feel His Presence with us, we have the assurance He is near as we draw near to Him. We can be assured He is watching over us, and will keep us, as we journey through the day.

As we draw near to God, and He draws near to us, the more God will be displayed in us.  

“God is always near us. Always for us. Always in us.” (Max Lucado)

“Nearness to God brings likeness to God. The more you see God, the more of God will be seen in you.”
(Charles Spurgeon)

 

Photo by marco forno on Unsplash