Here’s the good news. You don’t have to wonder whether God wants to be close to you. He already does.
God has chosen closeness with you. This isn’t something you’re waiting on, hoping one day to experience. His desire for nearness has been clearly revealed from the very beginning, woven throughout the story of Scripture.
We see it most powerfully in the incarnation of Jesus. As we just celebrated at Christmas, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. The birth of Christ was God’s declaration that He wouldn’t stay distant. As the angels announced to the shepherds, this child was given to us. Jesus lived in human flesh and walked among us. His entire life was an expression of God drawing near.
And it didn’t stop there.
After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, God sent another gift, the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, we see the Spirit poured out on all who believed, repented, and were baptized. That same Spirit now dwells in every believer. The very presence of God is no longer confined to temples or mountains. He lives within you.
So if God already chose to be close to you, if He sent His Son, gave His Spirit, and made His home in your heart, why do so many of us still feel far from Him?
If God Feels Distant, He’s Not the One Who Moved
This is a critical truth. If you don’t feel close to God, it’s not because He isn’t near.
For many of us, distance from God comes not because He has pulled away, but because we haven’t drawn near to Him. His posture is already toward you. His heart is open. His hand is outstretched.
James 4:8 makes it clear: “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”
There’s a promise here, a guarantee. This is a cause-and-effect relationship. If you draw near to God, He will draw near to you.
To help us grasp this, imagine a magnet. On the whiteboard in my office, I often fidget with magnets. Picture God as one of those magnets. His position is already fixed. He is always facing you, already leaning toward you. And like magnets, the moment you move toward Him, He moves toward you. That’s how this relationship works. Every time.
Because God’s desire is closeness. It always has been.
The Gap We Must Choose to Close
There’s a famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In it, Michelangelo depicts the hand of God reaching out from the right, and the hand of Adam stretching back from the left. But if you look closely, God’s arm is fully extended. His body is engaged, reaching with intensity. Adam, on the other hand, is passive. His hand is limp, wrist bent, only partially reaching back.
That painting captures the human condition. There’s a gap between us and God, but it’s a gap that could be closed by just a small movement on our part.
God has already done the work. He has reached with everything He has. The question is, will we respond?
Closeness with God isn’t accidental. It’s intentional. It’s a choice. It doesn’t happen passively or automatically. God has already chosen you. Now it’s your move.
How Do We Draw Near?
James gives us more than just a command. He tells us how to come near to God.
James 4:8 continues: “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
He uses two specific phrases here, one about the hands and one about the heart.
The first, “wash your hands,” refers to cleansing our actions. In the Old Testament, this was the language used for priests preparing to come near to God. It symbolized repentance for what had been done. Our sinful behavior, our choices, our visible disobedience. James is calling us to an external repentance, a turning away from sin in our actions and lifestyles.
This includes the behaviors the world can see. The words we say, the things we do, the life we live publicly. James names it directly: “you sinners.” We must acknowledge where we’ve transgressed and turn from it. That’s what repentance means. Not just confession, but a complete redirection back toward God.
But James doesn’t stop there.
He continues: “purify your hearts, you double-minded.” This is a call to internal repentance. Not just our behavior, but the state of our soul. Our attitudes. Our secret thoughts. The corners of our heart that no one else sees.
Because it’s entirely possible to look close to God while actually being far from Him.
You can go to church, join a small group, pray before meals, and still harbor bitterness, lust, hatred, or selfishness in your heart. You can appear faithful on the outside while being distant on the inside. That’s what James means when he calls us “double-minded.”
God wants all of you. Not just your actions, but your affection. Not just your behaviors, but your inner life.
The First Step Is Always Repentance
James’ words align perfectly with Jesus’ very first public message: “Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God has come near.”
Many of us focus on the belief part. But Jesus made it clear. Belief alone isn’t enough. The nearness of God demands a response, and that response starts with repentance.
Repent of what you’ve done. Repent of what you’ve allowed to grow in your heart. Come near to God with both clean hands and a pure heart.
When you do, you’ll find that God isn’t far off. He never was. His hand has been reaching for you all along.
In Summary
God’s not distant. He has already chosen closeness with you, through Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, and through every invitation in Scripture.
But closeness with God is not automatic. It requires intention. It requires a choice. It requires repentance.
Wash your hands. Purify your heart. Come near to Him.
And the promise is simple, powerful, and unwavering: He will come near to you.
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