Corona Devo 1978

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

It's so hard.  

Drawing near to God means stepping away from everything else.

I picture a kindly grandfather, prompting his grandkids to draw near, so that he might share valiant tales with them, such as David and Goliath, or Daniel in the lion's den.  His voice is low and a little raspy and he beckons the kiddos to draw near...in love.  In expectation.  And in the knowledge of sharing something with them that they will enjoy hearing and something that (he knows) will edify them in their hearing.  Draw near...

This is our Heavenly Father's heart for us.  He beckons us: Draw near. 

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

God, (through His word, the Bible), has much to tell us.  

He wants to share with us in love.  In expectation.  And because He knows that we will be edified in the hearing and learning of His Word.

But...will we make the choice to draw near?  

And it is a choice.  There is so much to step away from if we want to step toward God.  So many tasks we could do instead of sitting still and reading His Word.  

Or maybe it is rest that keeps us from God.  Just one more push of the snooze button instead of waking to meet with Jesus. 

Schedule, schedule, schedule.  Some of us have such wide-open time that the discipline of prioritizing God seems intimidating or too structured.  And others of us have not a moment to spare.  It would be a sacrifice-of-other-things in order for us to meet for a moment with God. 

Exactly. 

God is calling/beckoning/commanding us to sacrifice our time, our attention, and ourselves before Him today. 

Therefore submit to God...  ~James 4:7

He eagerly desires to spend time with us and to be present with us.  And He will.  If we will just draw near. 

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

We have a Savior (Jesus!) that has cleansed our sins.  But have we held ourselves accountable for our wrongdoings and infractions against God lately?  

We are forgiven--Yes...but have we repented lately?  

We serve a holy and pure (sinless!) God, and He desires (deeply!) to meet with us today.  But first we must acknowledge his purity and our impurity. This is how our communion (drawing near) with Him begins.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (9) Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord...  ~James 4:8-10

And as we realize our iniquity versus God's holiness... He envelopes us, He fills us, He renews us with His spirit. 

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.  ~James 4:10

And, in this beautiful cycle and process of "Cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts"...we are near to Him.  We are One with Him.  We have drawn near to God and He has become near to us. 

This process and choice (drawing near to God) is my truthful, cleansing, hard, emptying prayer for us today.

God is prompting us to draw near.  His arms are wide open.  He beckons us.  

The next move is ours.  Will we step away?  Will we stop for Him?  Will we start for Him?  Will we draw near ? 

Will we step away for God today?  Or Will we slip away from God today?

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.  ~James 4:8, 10 


Blessings, 

Sarah 

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

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