Welcome back! If you are just joining us, we are using the YouVersion Bible App to follow a devotional together. Read THIS POST to get all the information you need to join in and then you can read THIS MORNING’S POST to see the promises we are focusing on this week.

I chose this week’s versed because I just finished a book that used this verse as a main topic. It was already in my head so it stuck out more than the others. Which verse is it?

I desire to have a deep personal relationship with you. Come to Me. James 4:8

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. James 4:8, NIV

How often do you feel like God is so far away, that he can’t possibly care what’s going on in your life? You feel like you are talking to a brick wall rather than your heavenly Father.

Been there, done that. Constantly.

I’ve got a secret to share with you. It’s not him, it’s us! He doesn’t go anywhere, it’s us! We are the ones that wander away, that spend our time focused on other things. He waits for us to come back, to open the door, to start listening and talking again.

Just like any relationship our relationship with God requires dedication and consistent interaction. Your marriage would turn pretty sour if you stopped talking to your spouse on a regular basis. Your relationship with your kids would go downhill quickly if you only talked to them when you needed something, never getting to know them or tell them what they mean to you.

I’m not saying you need to spend all your time in quiet prayer on your knees or read the Bible for hours upon hours each day. I’ve found the key for me to be consistency. In some seasons of life this means reading one chapter of the Bible each day. In others it means reading a couple verses. Right now it means reading a couple short devotionals and a chapter because I have that chance. And I notice a difference when I’m not consistent. It doesn’t matter if I’m reading eight chapters or one verse. I notice when I’m not taking time to seek God.

So here’s my challenge to you:
Find a way to spend CONSISTENT time with God. This could mean once a day, this could mean three times a day, this could mean two times a week. This can mean starting in small moments right now and building up to longer times. Whatever it is, make it consistent. Draw close to him through reading his word, praying, and listening, and he will draw near to you.

Right now I wake up nearly an hour before the rest of the house so that I can have about thirty minutes to myself for Bible reading and prayer before I need to get breakfast going. This DID NOT happen before the kids were older. When I was waking up with babies constantly I soaked up every moment of sleep I could and read my Bible while nursing later in the day. But now waking up early works better for me.

It doesn’t matter what time of day it gets done, as long as you are setting that time aside to really focus. Don’t treat it as an item to check off your to do list but rather an important date to build the most important relationship you can have.