September 4, 2026 Devo

Not long ago, I received an anonymous prayer request from someone. They told me that they had become “disconnected” from God and that they desired to be close to Him again. It was a very tender and touching request, and I prayed for that person as I walked that day. As I did, I thought of the verse from James, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
God desires intimacy with us. He wants closeness, not distance. He wants a relationship with us that is one of substance and not one that is superficial. And though God is always “right there” in one sense of the word, He can’t be truly close to our hearts and minds unless we open them to Him. That’s why I found the prayer request so touching. This person realized that they had become quite distracted in their life. They wanted the God who was “there” to be “near.”
It’s easy to get distracted, isn’t it? It’s easy to get fixed on our pursuits, our goals, our activities, and our desires and forget that there is a God who desires to journey with us. A God who wants to share a dream with us. A God who wants to do life with us. A God who wants our First Thoughts to be of Him. Sometimes we just get so consumed with other things that God gets left behind.
That’s why I love our passage today. As God is using Ezekiel to communicate His disappointment to the people, He shares with him His true desire. “And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart.” Reflect on that for a moment. God doesn’t want to punish the people. He has no desire for them to have to be in exile or go down the dark path they’re on. His desire is for love. His desire is for reconciliation. His desire is for closeness.
Is that YOUR desire today? I don’t know about you, but I’ve sure had times when my heart has grown thorny and stony. Times when I’ve become disconnected and distracted. I’m so thankful God’s arms are always open to draw us back and draw us near. No matter how far we’ve drifted away, He never stops loving us and wanting us close. If you find yourself disconnected and distracted today, turn back to the Lord. He’ll give you “singleness of heart and put a new spirit in you.” Let the God who is “right there” all the way in. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” That’s God’s Word for you today.