Drawing Near to God: Understanding James 4:8 and Its Impact on Our Spiritual Journey

Pastor Jimmie Vowles

James Chapter 4 has been on my heart all week, and when Alex shared at the prayer meeting on Friday, it confirmed that this is what I should speak on today. The privilege that God gives us—to draw near to Him, and that He will draw near to us—is astonishing. The veil has been torn, the way into the Holy of Holies is open, and God Himself says:

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”James 4:8

That alone should make us stop and marvel.

The Conflict Within – James 4:1–4

James 4:1–4 (NKJV)Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

James begins by exposing the root of quarrels and conflicts: our desires, our cravings, our self‑centredness. Even when we pray, we often ask with wrong motives. James connects this to the world’s system—a system built on pride, self‑obsession, and pleasure.

Paul warned Timothy that in the last days people would be:

“lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”2 Timothy 3:2–4

We are living in that generation.

God Opposes Pride – James 4:5–7

James 4:5–7 (NKJV)Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Pride is deadly. It makes a Christian unteachable, unwilling to repent, unwilling to admit wrong. Pride contaminates worship. Pride deceives. Pride stands its ground even against God.

But humility opens the door to grace.

How do we submit to God?We obey Him.We purify our hearts.We allow Him to speak into the deepest parts of us.

The First Fear of Intimacy – Genesis 3

Genesis 3:8–10 (NKJV)And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

From the beginning, God desired intimacy. But sin made humanity afraid of God’s presence. Many Christians still struggle with this. We fear intimacy because God sees everything in us—and intimacy means He will lovingly confront what He wants to change.

I’ve been there. Many of us have.

Israel’s Fear of God’s Presence – Exodus 20

Exodus 20:18–21 (NKJV)Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

The people were terrified. They wanted Moses to be intimate with God for them. But God wanted intimacy with them.

God says:

“Am I a God near at hand… and not a God afar off?”Jeremiah 23:23

Moses: A Model of Holy Desire – Exodus 33–34

Moses had an extraordinary relationship with God.

Exodus 33:11 (NKJV) So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

Yet Moses wanted more.

Exodus 33:18 (NKJV) And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

God responds:

Exodus 33:21–23 (NKJV)“Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Then God proclaims His own character:

Exodus 34:6–7 (NKJV)“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”

Moses wasn’t selfish. He was hungry. He wanted more of God.

God Wants You, Not Your Performance

Bruce Wilkinson once said he realised that after years of ministry, God didn’t want more of his work—He wanted more of him. That’s true for all of us.

I used to experience what I called “the call”—a deep stirring in my spirit where God would draw me to Himself. I’d run to my room, lie before Him, and His presence would overwhelm me. I haven’t felt that for a while, and I long for it again.

God doesn’t want your activity.He wants your heart.He wants you.

Seeking God With Expectation

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

When we draw near, we must believe He will respond.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Psalm 42:1–2 (NKJV)As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Proverbs 8:17 (NKJV)“I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me.”

We Can’t Just Sit There

The story of Larry Walters—the man who tied 40 helium balloons to a garden chair and accidentally floated 11,000 feet into the air—ends with him saying:

“Because you can’t just sit there.”

As Christians, we can’t just sit there either. We can’t be content with a distant relationship with God when He invites us into His presence.

Imagine if every one of us spent this week intentionally drawing near to God. What would Sunday look like? What would our conversations look like? What would our community experience?

Everything changes when we carry His presence.

A Call to Commitment

God has never stopped reaching out to humanity—from Eden to the Cross to today. He wants closeness with His people. He wants closeness with you.

If we want our lives, our church, and our community to change, it begins with this:

Draw near to God.He will draw near to you.

Let’s commit ourselves to seeking His presence—not casually, not occasionally, but wholeheartedly.

Amen.

Personal Prayer