Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:8.

What does it mean to draw nigh to God? How can we do it? To know that God desires our communion with Him is cause for joy indeed. God would not issue the invitation if such a communion were not possible. In Christ, God has come all the way to draw men back to Himself.

It is a truth of first importance, that God seeks to draw nigh to us. This is the story of the Bible: God's search for lost man. He has heard our cry in the midst of our sin and death. He has bridged the gap that sin has caused. God draws nigh to us in Christ. In Christ, God comes between us and our sinful past. He draws nigh to us with forgiveness. We draw nigh to Him in repentance. He draws nigh to us in love. We draw nigh to Him in gratitude and humility. We draw nigh to God in prayer and the study of His Word. He draws nigh to us with the still small voice. Each day He awakens the mind and touches the heart. He continually transforms us. Even if a man be overtaken in a fault, He goes before us. He still loves us.

In one of the art galleries there is a picture entitled "The Waters of Lethe." On one side of the river stand the aged, the infirm, the sad, the weary, the crippled, the despairing, and the lost. But lo, as these pass through the waters to the other side, old age is transformed into the bloom of youth, despair and sadness into joy. Failure and deformity are changed into fullness of life.

But the saving, transforming presence of God is more than all the magic waters of any river. Naaman found it so. More than the waters of the Jordan, he bathed his mind and body in the love and mercy of God. He left not only his leprosy but the sins and sufferings of the past. God drew near to him. He found rejuvenation, and once more a life fresh, free, and full of sublime purpose.

Where sin is, there God's grace will be found at work to save from sin. He loves us to the end of our sinfulness and our weakness. We shall yet arrive at our eternal destination. The desire of God in patience, in mercy, and in loving forgiveness is toward its. We draw nigh to Him and know that all is well.