“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
So much depends on this!
Even if we are already firmly grounded in the faith and regularly practice the spiritual disciplines that flow from it, this word can still speak to us and draw us even closer to God. It is a word of love that expresses our Father’s search for us. As soon as we turn to Him, He is there to give us His closeness, which He never withholds from us. Even when we turn away from God, His love remains focused on us so that He can draw us to His heart. However, He can only unite with us when we align our lives with Him, leave behind our wrong paths, and receive forgiveness.
Many people today do not think about God at all or have false ideas about Him. They live as if our Heavenly Father did not exist at all and do not know that He speaks to them day after day and courts their love. In Madre Eugenia’s Little Book of the Father, our Father speaks of His longing for our love because He wishes to share His glory with His children.
Yet how often do people miss out on the greatest happiness: knowing Him! It doesn’t take much at all to encounter God. A simple step is enough to address Him and ask to get to know Him. And even if it’s just the question: “Who are You, God, and where are You?” That alone is a turning toward Him that our Father does not wish to leave unanswered.
Before his conversion, the author of these lines once exclaimed: “God, if You exist, then let me know You!” Our Father answered in His goodness, and today I say to everyone who is open to Him the same thing the Apostle James said:
“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” That is certain!