Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, youdouble-minded.
James 4:8
There may be times when God seems far away.You may feel as if your prayers go unheard. James said there is asimple reason for this and a solution. If you are far from God, it isbecause your sin has separated you from Him. God is unchanging. Hischaracter stays absolutely holy. His faithfulness remains constant; itis we who change. We allow sin into our lives. We choose our owndirection. We spend less and less time with Him in Bible study andprayer. Then one day we realize that we have gradually grown distantfrom God. The solution, according to James, is straightforward. We areto draw near to God.
As we realize our need to be closer to the Fatherand we begin to return to Him, He meets us even as the father hurriedto greet his prodigal son (Luke 15:20). Drawing near to God requiresyou to take two actions. First, you must cleanse your hands (Isa.1:15). You must cleanse your way of living. If you have been activelyengaged in sin, you must renounce it. If you have done anything tooffend or hurt someone, you must make it right. Second, you are topurify your heart (Ps. 51:10). You must make certain your attitudes,thoughts, and motives are right in God’s eyes and are in harmony withGod’s Word. Jesus warned that you cannot serve two masters (Matt.6:24). It is impossible to love anything else as much as you love Godand still please Him. If God seems distant, do what is necessary tocleanse your hands, purify your heart, and draw near to Him.
