One Step Away

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” – James 4:8-10 (NKJV).

Drawing near to God involves getting close, in much the same way you wish to be with those you love. The good news is God is always close.

Isaiah proclaimed, “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6).Jeremiah 29: 13-14 says, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord…” 

It is nice to have that person we can trust by our side to help us make decisions and to figure things out. But nobody can be by our side all the time except God. God is always there. Wherever we go, God is there with us.   

In fact, God is one big step closer than anyone else ever can be; He’s there in you. He’s there in the room with you. And when you sit in that meeting with a customer, and your mind is working a million miles an hour trying to understand problems and develop solutions without resources and in spite of office politics, He is there. When family problems mount, He is there. In the toughest moments in life, we can have the incredible, indescribable joy and peace because God is in that place. Jesus wants to guide our way through life, but we have to be willing to let him. We need to have faith in Him and in His promises.

We don’t need an international mobile phone to talk to God; we can talk anytime, anywhere, because He is there. We can ask for advice, help, guidance, wisdom and then trust that He will guide and lead us in the way we should go.

God is with us, leading us, guiding us, loving us, providing for us — all with His unlimited resources. What do we need? Do we need strength, peace, love, joy, or hope? He has it all. He is longing to pour out His favor and blessing. We need to be open to Him and to trust Him.

This is why the Bible tells us that we can now cast all of our burdens and cares upon the Lord – because it is now His job to take full and complete care of all of us from the moment we fully surrender everything over to Him. Isaiah 58:11 says, “The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”

 Discussion Questions:

1. Do you believe God is always there? How have you experienced that?
2. What can we do this week to make his presence real in our lives?