James 4:8

This morning I received an email from my dad that I'd like to share.

One of my favorite scriptures is James 4:8 which has an interesting, almost geometrical concept: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  Think about that for a moment.  When we draw near to God in prayer (in meditation, in thought, in study of scripture, and in our God-centered attitude and character) he actually then takes a step closer towards us.  And for each step we take towards him, he takes another step towards us, each time reducing the space, time and distance between us.  Mathematically, I guess you could say, He would then be twice as close to use when we draw near to Him, and twice as far away when we don’t draw near to Him.  This is really reassuringly good news, especially when this nearness and his presence will comfort us in our disappointments, our loneliness, and our regrets.   Maybe this is the real reason we learn math. Love you, Dad

Every time I come across this verse, I am blown away in amazement at the power of God's presence. There are times when I feel so distant from the Lord, almost as if He is just someone I've heard about and had some cool experiences with. But the powerful truth proclaims that His Spirit is alive and active in our hearts! And each step we take closer to Him, closer to the cross, He meets us just as we are and invites us into His presence more and more intimately. James 4:8 tells me that Jesus desires to grow intimately with us each day. Enjoy His friendship. Grow deeper and deeper, closer and closer. Draw near to Him. He will draw near to you.