How can we develop a relationship with a God we can’t see or hear?
Many Christians have the thought that God is in heaven waiting for His children to die and spend eternity with Him. But God wants a loving relationship with each of us while we are on this earth.
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:14-15
We are friends with Jesus, but not like the friends we have here on earth. The human friends we have are equal to us. But Jesus, being our friend, is also our sovereign Lord. We are under His authority, and we are to obey Him.
In any relationship we need to listen, and God speaks to us through the Bible. Many Christians think the Bible has a lot of stories, lessons on the life of Jesus, and a lot of do’s and don’ts. But the scripture is much more than that.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
The Bible connects our spirit with God. But you really need to take the time and effort to study the scriptures to make God feel real to you. If there are instructions, obey them, praise verses, meditate on them. What can you learn about God by what you are reading? Are you in awe when studying the creation account; thankful when you study how Jesus died and rose again? Don’t just read a passage and put the Bible back on the shelf; look at those words carefully, and read those verses more than once.
Prayer is our responding to God with praise and thanksgiving. God wants us to tell Him our sorrows and joys. God wants to be part of our lives through prayer.
God wants a relationship with us, but as with any relationship it will take effort on our part to make that happen.