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Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8a, ESV).
My spiritual desire in 2026 has been to draw nearer to God. Only in His presence do I find peace, purpose, and power. Below are a few notes of my discoveries in my “drawing near” quest this year.
One: God will draw near
James writes that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Let me repeat that; it’s a promise: If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. That’s my goal in 2026 — to draw near to God, and I’m writing about what I learn.
Two: We start the process
I’ve dealt with a misconception about drawing near to God. I thought God had to start the process through a burning bush, like Moses, or a bright, shining light, like Paul. But I can start the process without a miraculous green light from heaven appearing and telling me it’s okay to proceed.
Three: Look for His help
Often, during a God adventure, I read a book that helps. Some receive dreams; others get visions, but I read books, and throughout my 50 years of following Jesus, He has provided a book with insights at strategic moments.
This happened with a book compiled from the teachings of A.W. Tozer, which, by happenstance, I found and began reading. Below are a couple of quotes…
Everyone has dreams of what they want to do, but our dreams are based only on our limited perspective. How would our lives change if we had an eternal perspective? How would our lives change if we saw ourselves through God’s eyes?
I believe what God wants us to understand is that when we encounter Him and experience His presence, it is a life-changing experience, and we will never be the same. It will enable us to do for God what only God can do through us.
Four: Consistency
Experiencing God results from spiritual exercises. I just read that all of us need one to two hours of weight training each week, and that consistent shorter sessions bring greater benefit than longer sporadic sessions (even if they are more intense). Thirty minutes three times a week, and your muscles stay fit.
During my 30-to-60-minute Bible reading and prayer (at least five times a week), my spirit develops a sense of God’s presence that lasts throughout the day. Skipping these “training sessions” almost immediately lessens my sense of God’s presence; last week’s exercise is only minimally effective today.
Five: Reflect on your relationship with your parents
Our relationship with our earthly parents patterns our relationship with our heavenly Father. Those with faithful and caring parents find it easier to trust God, while those who’ve been abandoned by their parents may experience hesitancy in trusting God. Recognizing the “faith patterning” derived from our parents enables a confessional
transformation as sons and daughters of God.
One more quote from A.W. Tozer…
Sometimes we get down on our knees and our face before God, and we pray and pray and pray and nothing seems to happen. Nothing seems to go in the direction we would like to see it go. When we begin to experience the fire of God’s presence in our life, then our prayers will begin to change everything.
I will continue in other Interruptions this year to share my 2026 notes on drawing near to God.