What is near?
It is a calendar date? 24 days until Christmas…Christmas is near!
2 months until my birthday…my birthday is near!
But that type of nearness is relative. Near could be a day away. A week away. A year away. You get the picture.
But to be near is also “nearness of presence.” Nearness of proximity or physicality. Your house is near mine because we are neighbors. Another example, “Put the couch near the bookshelf.”
So what about the verse in James 4:8, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
That gets my attention. Especially when you consider that one of God’s attributes is his omnipresence. He is everywhere present.
Not to get too deep, but is there a nearness that is nearer than being near? Don’t laugh. 🙂 Stick with me.
I think what I mean is a nearness of relationship that is deeper than a nearness of proximity. God is always near. But, is there something more that happens when we make an effort to draw near to God through reading our Bible, journaling, prayer, and being still before him and listening?
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
I think that could be what the verse is talking about. I know that I long for God to draw near to me. I want a nearness of relationship with the Savior of the world.
He promises that when we seek him we will find him.
I’m going to take him up on that promise!