Closer: 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Day 23: Closer

James 4:8

"Come close to God, and He will come close to you."

Many of us love this amazing promise from God. To think that God will come close to us is an incredible thought. God will come close to you, but there is a prerequisite-You must first draw close to Him. Too often we get so involved in our own little worlds we rarely spend time in His big world. Therefore, not seeing things from His perfect perspective. Let's take a look at this verse in the greater context of this passage of scripture.

"God opposes the proud but favors the humble. So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor."

In looking closely at this passage we see that the prerequisite before we can come close to God is to humble ourselves. Moreover, we need to ask forgiveness and truly grasp the fact of how deeply sorrowful we should feel for having a divided heart. I think there is so much emphasis on mourning in this passage because it breaks the heart of God when we abandon and reject Him.

When we truly and deeply repent for not coming close to God because of our focus on our own world rather than His, in this state of humility, we can approach the throne and He will lift us up in honor.

Prayer Focus: Ask forgiveness of the things you have done that break the heart of God and pray that you can come closer to Him and that He will come closer to you.