Closer to God
It comes as no surprise this morning that the scripture at the bottom of my journal reads “ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” James 4:8
I think many of us found ourselves in a season where we felt so far from God although we know He is the one who sticks closer than a brother. I don’t know about you but for me this season involved a lot of transition. From different levels of lockdown, from church and businesses closing down, to it opening up again, all almost as though it needed to interrupt our daily lives to such an extent that we are forced to do things differently. The transition stage is described as the most painful part of labor, it’s the most vital minutes during the birth giving process for a woman, I would like to think of it as the make or break minutes because that moment defines the rest of your life, the one’s you experience right before you welcome one of the most precious God given gifts. The past year and a half had to be the hardest for all of us because we are so used to the normal, we are so set in our routines that we almost needed a shaking to get us to a place where we were awakened and learned to be vulnerable again. Life transitions are challenging because they force us to let go of the familiar and face the future with a feeling of vulnerability, on the other hand life transitions also start with a string of losses, loss of a job, loss of loved ones or even the loss of one self
The important thing in your season of transition is not necessarily the birth, the loss or the challenges that you are faced with but more so who’s voice you are listening too. I hate this idea that people try to make you feel like you are not worthy of God’s presence just because they don’t see you pray, that God is far from you because you have failed Him, I struggle too with a world claiming to love God and dictating that He only loves you when you do X, Y and Z when in fact His word says that He will never leave you nor forsake you. I think this time has forced us to evaluate more so the voices we listen to than the actual things that are happening around us, what the media is putting out there in an attempt to cripple you with fear. Whether it’s transition season or a wilderness season it all comes down to one voice leading you, one voice guiding you, one voice speaking to you, the familiar voice we often miss in the noise of media outlets and in the noise of “Christians” who think they are better than you because you pray only once a day and they have 5 hours to pray, reality is often times you have bills to pay, you work two jobs just to put food on the table, come home to make super and put the kids to bed and thank God for everything His done and these ones criticizing you have absolutely nothing on their to do list that is why they make you feel that the 5 hour prayer is better than your 30 minute prayer.
God loves us so unconditionally that’s the first thing I want you to remember when reading this, all our prayer lives look different, some write prayers to God, some carry prayers in their hearts because they cannot speak, all forms of prayer are beautiful and maybe.. just maybe this time of transitioning is so that we can move away from our old ways of doing things.
Drawing near to God…. What does that look like for you?! For me it looks a lot like living life in ways I have never done before, it looks like growth in every area, it looks like expansion, restoration and living life well because believe it or not I was never able to live my life the way God desired and intended for me to live it, I am now in transitioning yes but also discovered that I lived in fear of people and their opinions, so I had to transition from that and I now know I love everybody but I am not in bondage to anyone.
Because I know who’s voice I am listening too, I know who’s voice is guiding me and leading me along the path of righteousness.
Draw near to God in whatever way you can today, whatever that may look like
It’s pleasing to the Father and it surely is acceptable.