Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

James 4:8 (ESV)

How do we partner with God to see His will be done on earth as it is in heaven?

We can learn from Jesus in how He constantly withdrew to spend quality time with God (Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16). It is about taking intentional steps to encounter God through His Word and grow in intimacy with Him. But this goes beyond a few minutes of scripture reading and quiet prayer. Invite God into your day and be aware of His presence moment by moment. Rather than being random or unpredictable in your time with God, you will be able to experience God in a greater measure as a result of this practice of God's presence.

Many Christians suffer from a lack of faith because they do not recognise their position and authority in Christ. Jesus understood His authority and power because He had a close relationship with His heavenly Father. He unequivocally declared, “I do what my Father wants me to do” (John 5:30). These few words perfectly express the essence of our faith. Christianity is more than a religion; it is a relationship with God.

Knowing what we should be doing doesn’t always make doing it easier.

The busyness of life can easily rob us of the one relationship that counts the most. This causes us to believe we are far from God, yet He is always near us, never leaving or forsaking us. God does not practice social distancing with us. Missing out on cultivating a life with God should leave us feeling empty, not guilty.

When we learn to draw near to God, we will discover that God cares more about who we are than what we do. And God is more concerned with our character than with our charisma. This leads to an awakening to a loving Father who is delighted with us, rather than a Divine Being who is difficult to relate to and get to know. Thus, let us have the courage to approach God, knowing that He will never reject us because He already accepted us in Christ.