There was probably a time when talking to God felt easy.

You prayed because you wanted to, not because you felt like you should. You could read a Bible verse and think about it for the rest of the day. Worship meant something to you. You noticed God in the little things.

But somewhere along the way, something changed.

Now you can go days without really talking to God. You still believe. But if you're being honest, you don't feel truly close to Him like you once did.

Maybe you've even tried to fix it.

You downloaded a Bible app someone recommended. Started a Bible reading plan. Promised yourself you'd pray every morning. You tried for three days, maybe a week, and then life got busy again.

And eventually you start wondering: What happened to me?

Most people don't wake up one morning and decide, “I don't want to be close to God anymore.”

It usually happens much more slowly than that.

You get busy. Prayer becomes something you'll do later. But you never quite get back to doing it consistently. You stop reading your Bible as often.

Maybe you still go to church every Sunday. You still listen to worship music in the car. You might even serve at church, encourage other people or remind a friend to trust God when they're having a difficult week.

On the surface, everything looks okay. But when you look a little closer, you realize God is getting whatever is left of your attention.

And sometimes it isn't busyness at all. Sometimes you're disappointed with God.

You prayed about something and nothing happened. You lost something you thought He would protect. You've been waiting for an answer for so long that talking to God about it again feels exhausting.

So you haven't exactly walked away. You've just stopped coming as close.

There is a simple invitation in James 4:8: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Come near.

Sometimes we wait for the feeling first. We think, When I feel close to God again, I'll start praying properly. When I feel that hunger again, I'll start reading my Bible.

So we wait for a Sunday where the worship song deeply moves us. We wait for a sermon that wakes something up in us. We wait for that moment when opening the Bible doesn't feel like something we have to make ourselves do.

But James doesn't say, “Wait until you feel close to God.” He says, “Come near.”

That might mean opening your Bible for five minutes when you don't really feel like it. It might mean putting your phone down and spending ten minutes with God instead. It might mean telling Him, “I don't know what happened, but I don't feel as close to You as I used to.”

And if you're disappointed with God, tell Him that too. You don't have to wait until you feel close to God to come near.

Maybe reading this has made you realize just how long it's been since you really spent time with God.

Don't make a long list of everything you're going to change tomorrow.

Start small.

Put your phone down for ten minutes and talk to God. You don't need to find the perfect words. Tell Him about your day. Tell Him what's been bothering you. Tell Him you miss Him.

Open your Bible and read a chapter. You don't need to start another ambitious reading plan that has you trying to catch up on six chapters by next Tuesday.

And be honest about what's been getting most of your attention lately. Sometimes we tell ourselves we don't have much time for God, and then our weekly screen-time report tells a slightly different version of events.

Maybe there is something deeper going on too. A sin you don't want to deal with. Anger toward God you haven't admitted. A disappointment you've been carrying for months. If something has made you pull away from God, talk to Him about that too.

You don't need to fix months of distance in one day. Just start by spending some time with Him today.

Think about the story Jesus told about the lost son in Luke 15.

The son had put an enormous distance between himself and his father. Eventually, he decided to go home. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him.

Luke 15:20 says, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.”

The son still had a speech prepared. He still had things to confess. There were still consequences to everything that had happened. But he didn't have to earn his way through the front door.

Maybe you don't feel particularly close to God right now. Come home anyway. You don't have to feel anything special. Just come back to God as you are.

✝ Kingdom Mantra

Have you been feeling distant from God lately? What do you think has been getting in the way? I'd love to hear from you and pray with you. God bless you and do have a pleasant weekend. ❤️