Draw NIGH!

Read

James 4:8 KJV — Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

(nigh = near, sometimes it is just fun to use the old words!)

What It Is Speaking to Me

You know the office party you attend with your spouse where you don't know anyone? The mixer at new employee onboarding? The first time at a new gym, school, job, or church? Not your most comfortable moment. You ask yourself these questions: Is anyone going to talk to me? If I make the approach, will I be met warmly? Or rebuffed, and will I feel awkward? What am I doing here? Often we decide it is easier to withdraw from the potentially loaded social situation and just head to the parking lot as quickly as possible.

Have you ever acted out this scenario in your relationship with God? From time to time it seems like we can end up in the same situation. The reasons can be myriad: sin, coldness, a lack of regular prayer and worship, a feeling of unworthiness, supposed condemnation (lie!), and many other reasons. Whatever the reason, we feel distant and in a way like the kid at the new school. Will He (God) talk to me if I say something? Will He interact? Or will He reject me? If we have done something wrong, won't He scold us? Judge us?

Here's the thing about God: He is not across the room, arms crossed, waiting to see if you're going to walk all the way over. It is a mutual approach. You move toward Him, He moves toward you. That's relational. That's what people who actually like each other do.

The word "draw" here is a word of intention. It's a lean. A step. A turning of the body in a direction. It's not a theological dissertation or a perfect quiet time with color-coded notes. It's a move. One step. In His direction.

And then the promise: God doesn't say He might draw near. He says He will. You make the move, and He closes the gap. Every time. That's the deal.

We shouldn't wait until we feel worthy, or until life calms down, or until we have a better Bible reading plan. The invitation in James is simpler and more immediate than all of that. Just. Move. Toward. Him. Today.

What Is It Saying to You?

Has anything been keeping you near the door lately? Busyness, distraction, shame, or just habit?

What would one step toward God look like for you today? Just the first step?

What Are We Going to Do About It?

Before you open your email, your task list, or your first meeting today, take five minutes and literally say out loud, "God, I am drawing near to You right now." Then be quiet long enough to let Him respond. That's it. One step. Watch what He does with it.