Draw Close to God and Pray...FIRST!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Don’t think it’s only for happy days!

            If we never had heartache or trials, we’d become self-sufficient, and we’d forget to call upon the name of the Lord.  Have you noticed that we often wait until that time of crisis before we think to pray? 

            Praying should be our FIRST resort…not our last!  Before the pain of death, before the devastation of a fatal accident or the diagnosis of cancer, before the crushing blow of a spouse walking out….BEFORE these things happen, we need to be praying and drawing close to God.  James 4:10 gives wise instruction: "Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters."   GOD’S WORD Translation (Copyright 1995).

            When our hearts are aching with pain, anguish and sadness, if we have already learned how to come close to God….then it will be much easier to call upon Him and feel His presence during our grief.  We “come close” to Him by believing and accepting Him as Lord of our lives.  We draw close by reading the scriptures and praying faithfully; by surrounding ourselves with Godly friends who help us to be accountable for our words and our actions.  And when we “come close to God…..he will come close to us”.  That’s a promise!

            As the remainder of that verse commands, we need to “clean up our lives”…..by allowing the dirt to be put through the cleansing agent called the blood of Jesus.  Clear your mind of any doubts that may cloud and dilute your faith. 

            Draw close to God! Drink and serve the JOY JUICE of Jesus….even in the midst of grief.