This is Part Five of my seven-part Drawing Nearer to God series. I heard my pastor talk about “drawing nearer to God,” and I found myself wondering - how do I actually do that? So I did what I always do: I started digging, Googling, and writing. Now I’m sharing what I’ve discovered along the way.
I hate U-turns. Not the actual driving kind – I make those all the time – but the spiritual ones. The kind where you realize you’re headed the wrong way, slam on the brakes, and have to admit out loud, “Yep, I blew it.”
Repentance. The word itself sounds churchy, but at its core it’s simple: turn around. Acts 3:19 puts it plainly: “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.”
Wiped away. That’s the promise. But first comes the hard part: admitting you’re lost.
Here’s the Average Joe reality: I don’t like being wrong. I’ll defend my mistakes longer than I should. I’ll justify, excuse, maybe even spiritualize them – anything but actually admit them. Repentance feels like weakness. But in God’s kingdom, repentance is strength.
Because repentance is what clears the junk between me and God. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” That verse stings. It means my stubborn pride can clog up my prayers like hair in a shower drain (back when I used to have hair). No wonder God feels distant sometimes.
But here’s the good news: repentance isn’t about groveling – it’s about freedom. 1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” That’s not God scolding us from the judge’s bench; that’s God opening the door and saying, “Welcome home.”
Repentance is the U-turn lane we’d rather avoid – but it’s also the lane that takes us back to God every single time.
So maybe drawing nearer to God isn’t about trying harder or pretending we’ve got it together. Maybe it’s about humility. About pausing in the middle of our mess, admitting we’re going the wrong way, and letting God redirect our steps.
Because here’s the thing: God doesn’t need perfection – He wants honesty. And every U-turn, every whispered “Lord, I’m sorry,” is a step closer to the One who never stopped waiting for us.
