James 4:1-10: a reflection

1Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? 2You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. 3You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”? 6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

In the midst of a passage about the conflicts that arise from our desires and our friendship with the world, James offers a wonderful promise about coming back to God: Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. The movement toward God is met by God's movement toward us; when we draw near to him, he draws near to us. We are not left to seek a distant, unresponsive God; God responds to our drawing near by drawing near himself. The promise is reciprocal: our step toward God is answered by his step toward us, so that the one who draws near to God finds God drawing near in return.

Notice the reciprocal nearness James promises: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. God is not distant and unresponsive, requiring us to seek him in vain; when we draw near to him, he draws near to us. Our movement toward God is met by his movement toward us. This is a great encouragement to the one who feels far from God and wants to come back: the drawing near is not one-sided, straining toward a God who stays distant; it is met by God's own drawing near. The one who takes a step toward God finds God taking a step toward him. The nearness is reciprocal; God responds to our approach by approaching us.

That is worth resting in, for when we draw near to God, he draws near to us. We can feel far from God, and fear that drawing near to him will be a lonely, one-sided effort toward a distant God who does not respond; but James promises that when we draw near to God, he draws near to us. Our movement toward God is met by his movement toward us. The one who draws near finds God drawing near in return. When you feel far from God and want to come back, do not fear that your drawing near will be one-sided; draw near to him, and he will draw near to you. Draw near to God, trusting that he will draw near to you in return, so that your movement toward him is met by his movement toward you, as James promises, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you; for God is not distant and unresponsive but responds to our approach by drawing near, and the one who draws near to God finds God drawing near to him.

Lord, in the midst of a passage about the conflicts that arise from our desires and our friendship with the world, James offers a wonderful promise about coming back to you: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. The movement toward you is met by your movement toward me; when I draw near to you, you draw near to me. I am not left to seek a distant, unresponsive God; you respond to my drawing near by drawing near yourself. Show me the reciprocal nearness James promises: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. You are not distant and unresponsive, requiring me to seek you in vain; when I draw near to you, you draw near to me. My movement toward you is met by your movement toward me. This is a great encouragement to me when I feel far from you and want to come back: the drawing near is not one-sided; it is met by your own drawing near. The one who takes a step toward you finds you taking a step toward him. Let me rest in that, for when I draw near to you, you draw near to me. I can feel far from you, and fear that drawing near to you will be a lonely, one-sided effort toward a distant God who does not respond; but James promises that when I draw near to you, you draw near to me. When I feel far from you and want to come back, keep me from fearing that my drawing near will be one-sided; help me draw near to you, Lord, trusting that you will draw near to me in return, as James promises, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.