Come Close

Come Close

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

James 4:8

People are drawn to the Amish because they believe the Amish are close to God, and many non-Amish long for that. It’s true that many Amish are close to God, but some are not. Being Amish doesn’t automatically sign a person up for a front-row seat.

There are elements in the Amish lifestyle that make it easier to find God. Their quiet lives allow them room to listen. Their lack of material things makes God’s gifts more evident to them. Their dependence on one another reminds them what the body of Christ is supposed to look like.

The Amish believe that worldliness can keep them from being close to God, and that’s a possibility, yet there are also those who have everything the world has to offer and still seek God. King David is a great example. Acts 13:22 says, “God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’” David had everything, and although he stumbled at times, sometimes seriously, he returned to God always—he drew close.

No matter who you are, what you have, or the messes you’ve made, at this moment you, too, can draw close to God. You don’t need to become Amish. You don’t need quiet and simplicity (although those can help). Drawing close to God means taking time to approach Him, to acknowledge your sins, and to focus your mind on the Creator rather than on His creation. Your loyalty will be divided only as long as you let it be.

Do you want to be a man or a woman after God’s own heart? Then seek it out. Chase after God as if finding Him is worth more than anything, anyone else, because the truth is . . . it is.

Dear heavenly Father, I desire You more than anything else. The world doesn’t hold a candle to You. The riches of this world are like dime-store trinkets compared to what You have to offer.