Draw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to You

Introduction

On the first Sunday of the year, Brendan White opens 2026 with a simple and powerful invitation: draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Drawing from James 4:8 and several encounters with Jesus in the Gospels, he reminds us that God is not a distant father but a close Father who is waiting for you to take a step so He can walk with you this year.

Message outline

1. This year, choose to draw near to God

• James 4:8 lays down the foundational promise: "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
• Like a child learning to walk toward his father, you have a choice at every step: to draw closer or to pull away.
• Brendan tells the story of his three daughters' first steps in his mother-in-law's living room; that moment when he held out his arms and they ran until they fell into his embrace.
• God wants to be close, and your heart has a real part to play in letting God draw near to you.

2. Drawing near requires desire: invite Jesus into your boat

• In Mark 6:47-48, Jesus prays on the mountain while the disciples struggle against the wind in the middle of the lake.
• The text says Jesus "was about to pass by them": He waits to be invited; He does not impose Himself.
• When the disciples see Him, they are afraid and think He is a ghost, but Jesus tells them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
• He climbs into the boat and the wind dies down: this year, don't let Jesus pass by your storms; invite Him to get into your boat.

3. Drawing near requires pushing through the crowd

• In Mark 5, a woman who has been sick for twelve years hears about Jesus and says to herself: "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."
• She comes up from behind, she pushes through the crowd, she perseveres beyond the gaze of others.
• Immediately, she feels in her body that she is healed: her faith met her thoughts, and her action followed her faith.
• This year, align your thinking with heaven: "If I can only draw near, I know what God can do."

4. Drawing near requires curiosity and removing what weighs you down

• In Exodus 3, Moses turns toward the burning bush that burns without being consumed, and God tells him: "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals."
• Drawing near to God requires removing certain things that the past, life, and habit have placed on you.
• Zacchaeus, for his part, has to climb a tree to get past the obstacles and see Jesus, because in his normal stature he couldn't manage it.
• Keep that sense of wonder throughout the Sundays, connect groups, and prayer meetings: take nothing for granted and ask yourself, "What does God want to do today?"

5. Drawing near means finding your Heavenly Father

• Jesus, before being on the lake, was on the mountain, close to His Father: His closeness to the Father comes before His ministry to people.
• In John 14:9, He tells Philip: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."
• Matthew 6:8 says that "your Father knows what you need before you ask him": your ego wants to do it alone; your Father already knows.
• Romans 8:14-15 reminds us that the Spirit makes you a son, a child who can cry out "Abba, Father!"; the oil of anointing is the sign of this Spirit who draws you closer.

6. The Father is near; He comes to find you where you are

• In the garden, God's first question to man is not a judgment but a call: "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9).
• Adam and Eve had been in the habit of walking with God, but they were hiding; God, however, comes to meet them to walk together again.
• "Our Father in heaven" does not speak of a distant kingdom but of a kingdom that is near, accessible through prayer.
• You can approach the throne of grace with confidence, because your Father is holy and precious, and because your name is known to Him.

Key takeaways

• God does not impose Himself; He waits for you to take a step, like Jesus who was about to pass by the boat before being invited to get in.
• Your thoughts matter: "If I just touch Jesus, I will be healed" is a thought that aligns your life with heaven.
• Drawing near to God often means removing what weighs you down: habits, wounds, certainties you carry like shoes on holy ground.
• You don't have a distant God but a Father who knows what you need before you even ask.
• This year, decide to push through the crowd, climb the tree, and invite Jesus into your boat; whatever the cost.

Personal application

1. In what "boat" of your life are you rowing without having explicitly invited Jesus to get in with you?
2. What is the "crowd" you need to push through this year to draw near to Jesus: the opinions of others, your exhaustion, your fear of being seen?
3. What "shoes", habits, wounds, ways of functioning; is God asking you to take off before drawing near to His presence?
4. What "tree" (specific choice, decision, commitment) do you need to climb this year to get past an obstacle and see Jesus?
5. When you pray "Our Father in heaven," are you speaking to a distant God or to a close Father who already knows what you need?

Verses cited

• James 4:8
• Mark 6:47-51
• Mark 5:25-34
• Exodus 3:1-5
• Luke 19:1-10
• John 14:9-11
• Matthew 6:5-13
• Romans 8:14-15
• Genesis 3:8-9
• Hebrews 4:16

Frequently asked questions

What does it practically mean to "draw near to God" according to this message?

It means voluntarily taking a step toward Him: opening your Bible, praying, inviting Him into a specific situation in your life, choosing to remove what weighs you down, deciding to believe He is near even when circumstances suggest otherwise. It is not a spiritual performance; it is a decision of the heart, like a child who starts walking toward his father again instead of staying seated.

Why does Jesus wait to be invited instead of getting into the boat directly?

Because He respects the hearts of His disciples. In Mark 6:48, the text specifies that He was about to pass by them: He does not impose His presence; He waits for His disciples to call out to Him. It is a powerful image for the year ahead: God does not force His way into your life; He waits for you to open the door of the boat and say, "Come, I need you."

How can you pray "Our Father in heaven" without it feeling distant?

Brendan reminds us that "heaven" does not refer to a far-off realm but to a divine kingdom that remains accessible through prayer. Your Father is holy, yet He is near. You can come before Him with confidence, as Hebrews 4:16 invites you to do. Every time you say "Our Father," you can remember that Jesus came precisely to show you this Father, and that the Spirit gives you the right to cry out "Abba!"