Come near to God

"Come near to God and He will come near to you." [James 4:8a]

The days I intentionally make time to sit with the LORD, to open His Word, quiet my heart, and simply listen are the days I walk with greater peace, clearer direction, and deeper confidence. The days I neglect that time, are almost always the days I begin relying on my own strength. Then what normally happens is before long striving replaces surrender, anxiety replaces peace and the noise of the world becomes louder than the voice of God!

Is this your experience too?

We have a tendency to search for peace in better circumstances, better habits, better relationships or better answers; yet peace has never been found in any of those things.

Peace is found in the presence of the Prince of Peace.

I’ve rushed into busy days convincing myself I would spend time with the LORD later. Every single time that decision became the beginning of my unravelling! My thoughts became louder, my peace became weaker and my heart became more anxious; I find myself striving instead of trusting.

Yet, I’ve also experienced mornings where I simply showed up before our Heavenly Father with no agenda other than to be with Him. I find on those mornings they have become the foundation for everything else in my life.

We can look for answers in yet another book, another podcast, another plan, or another breakthrough; we have more of these than any generation before us! Yet in today's world burn out is rife, discernment is low and the gap between what we know and how we actually feel is wider than ever.

But what if the answer has always been God’s presence?

There was a time in my life when guilt motivated me and shame was always waiting if I fell short, and eventually I have ended up carrying both, but that is not how God invites us to Him. Our relationship with Jesus is not built on guilt, it’s built on grace.

There is no secret formula, or a perfect amount of time and there is not a checklist that earns God’s love, we simply just show up; we draw near to Him and He keeps His promise.

“Come near to God, and he will come near to you.” [James 4:8a]

Gradually day after day, conversation after conversation, prayer after prayer, we begin recognising His voice. His conviction comes without condemnation, His encouragement comes without striving and His direction becomes clearer than the confusion surrounding us. We grow by yielding, not by striving.

Then something beautiful begins to happen, we stop trying to carry life on our own and we begin receiving it.

Jesus declared in John 6:35:

"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

His Word becomes nourishment and it is then the place where we find rest. The more time we spend with Him, the more His voice became louder than our fears, His peace became stronger than our anxieties and His truth became greater than our pain.

Then we start to understand what David meant when he wrote in Psalm 119:105:

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Jesus never promised us an easy life, but He did promise His presence. He is our Shepherd, He is our King and He is our Lord and Saviour!

His presence is where fear begins to lose its grip, where anxiety starts to loosen its chains, where weary souls finally find rest and where surrendered hearts are transformed.

So today, can I urge you not to worry about saying the perfect prayer or about spending the perfect amount of time. Just come and open His Word and pour out your heart, then be still and listen.

Then return to that place tomorrow, and the next day and the next......

Until one day you will realise something beautiful has happened, you no longer spend time with Him because you feel obligated; you spend time with Him because you have tasted the Bread of Life, you’ve been refreshed by the Living Water, and you cannot imagine walking another day without His presence.

If your heart feels tired, if your mind feels overwhelmed, if anxiety has become a constant companion, don’t run faster come closer, His presence is still the safest place on earth.

I for one, am so thankful for that!

God bless