Friendship changes things. Once you realize the God of creation calls you friend, you start wanting to be close.
Not out of duty. Out of something more like hunger.
But then you look around at the people who seem close to God — the ones who pray for hours, quote Scripture from memory, and never seem to struggle — and a familiar thought creeps in: that kind of closeness isn't for me.
The Misconception: Nearness Is for the Super-Spiritual
Many of us quietly believe intimacy with God is a reward. You earn it with enough discipline, enough maturity, enough spiritual performance. Until then, you watch from a distance.
But that's not how Scripture describes it at all.
James 4:8: "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
Read the order. You take a step. He takes a step. There's no minimum spiritual résumé. No test to pass first. Just an invitation, and a God who meets you the moment you move toward Him.
What Made the Difference
"Super Good Feeling" by Bleach is about as joyful as this arc gets. The song describes days getting better and things getting clearer — every single day — since letting God nearer. It's full of anticipation: eager to breathe in each new day, eager to find Him right beside them. And it rests in a promise: He's never going away.
But don't miss what started it all. The song credits reading God's letter.
The turning point wasn't a feeling that showed up out of nowhere. It was opening His Word — and finding it read less like a rulebook and more like a letter written personally to them.
Jeremiah 29:13: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Clearer, Not Always Easier
One honest note: closer doesn't always mean easier. Life still happens. Hard things still come. But nearness makes the days clearer. You start seeing your life through the eyes of Someone who knows you and isn't leaving.
Try This Tomorrow
Ten minutes. Phone in another room. One chapter of John. Before you read, ask Him: "What are You saying to me?" After you read, write down one sentence.
That's a step. And He's already stepping toward you.
This is Chapter Four of OUT OF THE DUST. Catch up on the first three chapters, and don't miss tomorrow's finale.
🎧 Spotify | 🍎 Apple Music
