Is He Watching From Afar… or Walking in Me Now?
I don’t obey to find Him—I obey because He already walks with me, in me, step by step.
A Conversation About Nearness, Obedience, and the Intimacy Already Ours in Christ
“The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” – 1 Corinthians 6:17
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5
A Conversation After a Quiet Time That Felt... Quiet
Lily:
I’ve been trying to be more consistent with my quiet times and obedience, but lately… it just feels like God’s far away. I keep thinking, If I just obey better, maybe He’ll draw closer again. But it’s like I’m chasing something I can’t quite catch.
Me:
Oh Lily, I remember chasing that same feeling. I thought God’s nearness was something I had to earn—like He’d show up when I proved I was serious enough. But what I didn’t know back then is that closeness isn’t something we achieve. It’s something we already have.
Lily’s View: Obedience Draws God Closer
Lily opens her Bible. “But doesn’t Scripture say stuff like, ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:8)? And what about John 14:23—‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word… and We will come and make Our home with him’? That sounds like obedience brings intimacy.”
She flips to a few more:
Psalm 24:3–4 – “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?... He who has clean hands…”
Isaiah 59:2 – “Your sins have hidden His face from you…”
1 John 3:24 – “The one who keeps His commands abides in Him…”
“I guess I just assumed that nearness had to be maintained by obedience.”
My Response: You Don’t Obey to Get Him Closer—You Obey Because He’s Already in You
“Those verses are real,” I say gently. “But for the believer, they’re not about chasing God down. They’re about clearing away what’s clouding the closeness you already have.”
I turn to 1 Corinthians 6:17 – “The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
And John 14:20 – “You will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
“In Christ, you’re not drawing near to God from the outside—you’re walking in union with Him from the inside. You don’t obey to get Him to move closer. You obey because He’s already as close as He can possibly be—within you.”
Earning Closeness vs. Enjoying Union
Lily leans back. “So… my feelings of distance don’t mean He’s actually far?”
“Exactly. They just mean something’s obscuring your awareness. Maybe fear, maybe self-effort, maybe even the belief that you’re not close unless you’re ‘doing enough.’ But Hebrews 13:5 is clear—‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’Not ‘unless you mess up.’ Never.”
“True intimacy comes not from performing obedience for Him but from walking in dependence with Him. That’s what John 15 is all about—‘Abide in Me, and I in you.’ It’s not proximity you’re seeking. It’s participation.”
A Grace-Oriented Appeal
If you’ve been trying to earn closeness with God by being more obedient, take heart.
You’re not knocking on a door from the outside. You’re already inside the house—at His table, in His arms, joined in spirit.
Yes, obedience matters. But not to gain His attention—it’s the overflow of His life already in you.
So today, stop chasing the feeling of nearness.
Start trusting the truth of your union.
And let your obedience flow—not to draw Him in—but because He already lives within.
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