Thursday
04-23-2026
By: Brenda
“Come Close-
Returning to God With Our Whole Heart” or just turning.
This is a devotional for anyone who is feeling the longing, the ache, and the urgency to be near God again, or maybe for the first time.
There are moments in our life when something deep inside us begins to stir.
A longing we can not explain, a desire we did not create, and a need that feels almost urgent.
It may sound like this-
“I want to know God.”
“I need God’s presence.”
“I want to feel God’s peace.”
“I miss God.”
“I can not shake this heaviness.”
“I feel like God is calling me back or, I feel like God is calling me.”
This longing is not a sign of distance. It is a sign of awakening in our heart.
It is our heart remembering where it belongs or where it finally longs to be.
And knowing that the word tells us that He draws close to us when we first draw close to Him.
James 4:8
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
This ache we may be feeling is not punishment.
It is an open invitation.
The heaviness we feel, the urgency we feel, the restlessness we feel, the sense of “running late” we might be feeling is not to be mistaken as fear.
It is the weight of our unspoken longing to be close to God again, or maybe for the first time.
It is our soul saying and crying out… “I need You, Father!”
When God is calling us into a relationship with Him, or calling us back to closeness with Him it may often feels like this.
A pull, a stirring, a holy restlessness, a sense that nothing else satisfies us,
a desire to search Scripture, and the need to talk to our Father for the first time, or again.
This is not God scolding us. It is God drawing us close to Him.
God does not say, “Do more, or try harder, or fix yourself.”
God says, “Come close to Me, I want your heart, I want you near Me.”
This is why the longing feels so personal. Because it is.
Isaiah 44:22
“Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
The call to Him, or back to Him is not about our performance.
It is about our presence with Him.
These three words describe the stages of our heart when it is being awakened.
The “Desire” — this is the Spark.
“I want God.”
The “Longing” — the ache.
“I miss God.”
“I want to know God.”
The “Need” — the truth.
“I can not do this without God.”
This is our journey when God is drawing us close.
The urgency we feel is not about time running out.
It is about our heart wanting to be ready.
It is the urgency of our love for God and wanting to feel His love for us.
Do you hear our Father, saying, “Come now.
Do not wait. I want you near Me!”
This urgency is not meant to frighten us.
It is meant to focus us on Him, or back on Him.
If our heart is longing for
His presence, His love, and
His peace.
Whether for the first time, or again. Then this is exactly what His presence will bring us.
His presence is where our heaviness is lifted. His presence is where our ache quiets. His presence is where our longing is met, our urgency is settled, our hearts find rest, and our soul breathes again.
Psalm 16:11
“In Your presence is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
God’s presence is not something we earn.
It is something we enter.
And the doorway is always open to simply talk to Him.
That is it. That is our beginning. That is our return. That is our closeness. That is our surrender. And that is our peace.
Talking to God is how our heaviness is lifted.
How our longing is met.
And how our heart comes home.
Oh, how God loves us ❤️
Dear Father in heaven,
I come to You with a longing in my heart.
A longing for Your presence, a longing for Your peace, a longing for Your love in all of us.
I pray that each of us are all feeling the ache, the desire, the need, and the urgency to seek You.
And I pray that each of us recognize Your gentle calling…
Calling us to maybe for the first tim, or calling us back to closeness with You.
Father, draw each of us near to You.
Quiet our heaviness.
Lift the weight we carry.
Let Your presence settle over us like rest for our souls.
Teach us to talk to You again, or maybe for the first time. Honestly, simply, and without fear.
Father, meet us in our longing.
Fill us with Your peace, and hold us in Your love.
May we simply turn to You, or return to You with open hearts.
And may we thank You that You were already waiting even before we called.
In Your Son’s precious name, Amen
Have a blessed day
God loves you ❤️
and so do I ❤️