Drawing Near to God

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"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."    James 4:8

God promises to reciprocate His gracious presence, which includes the warmth of His love, protection when we need it, strength, His divine concern, provisions, a listening ear with His undivided attention. 

Since He forces Himself on no one, He will only draw near when we draw near. We must have a desire for such a relationship. It starts with the individual.

Drawing near isn't defined by a 10-minute drive by. It requires sitting a while in His presence. Intentionally setting time aside, the same time each day is preferable.  This is a planned meeting to be engaged in fellowship and communication through prayer and the reading of the Word of God. This time allows us to hear His voice and what He wants to say to us, it allows us to unload our cares as we express what is on our hearts.  This alone time with Him allows us to walk away differently than how we initially came into His presence. This time of engagement will bring the answers we're desiring.

When we don't give a person our time and attention, we don't have a relationship, we're merely an acquaintance.

The closer we get, the closer He gets. The closer we get, the more we'll hear. The closer we get the more He'll speak. The closer we get, the closer He becomes. This is intimacy, this is what having a true relationship with the Lord God looks like.

May you and I seek to draw nearer and nearer To God as the New Year approaches.