Many years ago, I became fascinated with this word “clarion.” It means a clear and shrill sound. The word “shrill” means high pitched and piercing.

In my mind, clarion referred to something that was trying to get my attention. The distinct shrill and piercing sound would cause me to take notice and either be warned or challenged to take action.

James, the younger brother of Jesus, gives a clarion call to all followers of Jesus. James 1:1 informs us that James was writing to the twelve tribes of Israel, who had been scattered around the world. Today, this includes all who claim Christ as our Lord and Savior, Jew, or Gentile.

James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (NIV)

For me, that’s the word for 2021. I need to discover ways to be drawn closer to God than in the past year. 2020 was a tough year. It drained me, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The pandemic wasn’t enough. Here in eastern Iowa, we had to throw in a once in a life-time derecho. This was a storm of 140 mile per hour winds, sustained for at least forty to forty-five minutes, followed by heavy rain. Some have described it as an on-land hurricane. It was not fun.

In other parts of the world, there were forest fires (some still burning), there were hurricanes, earthquakes and a whole array of employment and financial challenges. Plus, we lost many friends and loved ones to all the diseases that were present prior to the pandemic.

Between the pandemic and the derecho, I’ve discovered a whole new meaning to our need for God and our continual dependence upon Him for everything in our life.

I believe the solution for this is found in the clarion call of James 4:8. The Holy Spirit, who was guiding James in his writing, was kind to us and gave us ways for us to draw closer to God.

Wash your hands—

Purify your hearts—

Grieve, mourn & wail—

Humble yourselves—

Over the next few days, I will be blogging about these four things and exploring from the Scriptures what they mean for us. They are obviously important disciplines for us to develop since they will draw us closer to God. Doing these things won’t stop the pandemic, nor will it stop the derechos of our lives, but they will keep us closer to the one who has promised to always provide a way through the desert and wilderness.

Looking forward to sharing these things with you.

Always in Pursuit!

Don