Drawing Closer

James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”


I had finished my morning devotions yesterday, and was about to open my bible to read, when I felt to pray before reading. I rolled over on the bed I was setting on while going down the road in the motor home, and I uttered these words, “Lord, help me draw closer to you.” As I said those words, the Lord brought to my mind the verse just quoted above. He then made real to me what it really means to draw closer to Him.

Having read James 4:8 many times before, I always pictured myself as being so many feet from God, and when I would pray I would picture myself moving closer to Him by a foot or an inch or whatever it may be. But, God made real to me that He isn’t so many feet away from me. He doesn’t tell me to draw near Him by picturing myself so many feet away and by doing good things to move closer to Him. He is saying, “I am as close to you right now as I can get, but there is things in your life you and I need to move, and if you will start moving things in your heart, I will start moving closer in. The more flesh you move, the closer we will become, until finally one day we are brought into complete oneness of life, breath, thoughts and actions. It isn’t feet separating us; it is the flesh of your heart. The more flesh you move out, the closer we will become.”

Beloved, is there any flesh you are aware of between you and God? If you do your best to move the love of this world, and move all known flesh out of your heart, God promises that He will move that much closer to you. If you will make the effort to come nearer to Him, He will come nearer to you. Don’t let flesh keep you from a deeper intimacy with the Father, move things out, so He can better move more of Himself in.