An old joke refers to an elderly Grandpa and Grandma driving down the road in the car. Grandma turns and says, “Do you remember when we used to take drives every Sunday?” “Yep,” says Grandpa. “Do you remember when we used to sit so close you couldn’t put a piece of paper between us?” “Yep,” says Grandpa. “Why don’t we sit close like that anymore?” Grandpa turns to Grandma and says, “I haven’t moved.”

If you feel like God is far off, just remember that God hasn’t moved. He created mankind for close, regular fellowship, as we see by God’s voice when walking in the Garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). It was their choice to experience sin that caused Adam and Eve to hide from His presence. Sin brought a fear of God, distanced them from the Lord, brought neglect to a relationship with Him, and spiritually deadened their hearts. The good news is that God’s forgiveness renews our love for Him and our desire to be in His presence. Especially in the Dispensation of Grace, forgiveness is a constant state for us, whether it feels this way or not (Colossians 2:13). He does not distance Himself from us when we sin, because His grace and Christ’s blood covers our sins. He remains near desiring our close fellowship. Moreover, the Scriptures abound with encouragements for us to: “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). In fact “…He…(is) not far from every one of us…”(Acts 17:27). Likewise, Jeremiah 23:23 asks: “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?” The happy answer is: “Yes.” He is near. All we need to do is thank Him for His mercy and forgiveness, continue in prayer, get back into the Scriptures, and seek consistent daily fellowship with Him. As we draw nigh to Him, He will always draw nigh unto us. Our walk with the Lord can be as sweet and close as it was when we were at our strongest spiritually. The Psalmist promised: “The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

If your daily walk has drifted away from the Lord into a cold or barren spiritual climate, it does not have to remain that way. Right now, draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you. He is waiting for you.