Sometimes girls ask me, "How do I grow in my relationship with God? How can I know Him better?" Sometimes they add: "I read my Bible and pray, but it doesn't seem to help. He seems far away."
If you can relate to this, you're not alone. And I think there is more than one answer to these questions. First of all, if you want to grow in your relationship with God and know Him better, reading the Bible and praying is a good place to start, but if you are already doing this and you still feel lost, God seems distant, or you're not sure what He is saying to you, you're probably closer to Him than you feel.
When it comes to "measuring" your relationship with God, feelings are not always an accurate scale. If you are reading your Bible, then God is speaking to you and you are listening. If you are talking to Him, asking for things, and trusting Him to help you, guide you, teach you, etc., you may not see any immediate results or have instant feelings, but His words are in your mind and in your heart, and that makes a difference. So be patient and wait for the promise Jesus gave when He said, "You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you…Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit." (John 15:3-5)
Another thing to consider is God's timing is not usually our timing. We like immediate answers. We like instant change. We prefer to fix, solve, and do things ourselves, but God tells us to wait on Him. In Psalm 37:7, David penned these words: Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. And in Psalm 62:5, he says, Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
When Jesus says to "remain" in Him, waiting is often involved. I must trust in His promises, believe He is with me, and rest in His love. This can be frustrating at times, but it can also be super-rewarding! I always grow closer to Jesus when I wait on Him, and I know Him better at the tail-end of my waiting. I see why I needed to wait, purposes He had in mind I never considered, and I experience His faithfulness. This helps my faith to grow, and it helps me to grow. I become more patient with life. I become more patient with others. I love more.
They say 'knowledge is power', and when it comes to knowing God more deeply, that is definitely true. He strengthens me. He gives me courage. He produces things in me I didn't think I was capable of. So when others say God seems distant even though they are seeking Him, I know God has them in an amazing place…a time of waiting. If you are there now, trust that He is with you. He has wonderful things to show you, teach you, and give you.
Just wait…and you will see :)
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
If you can relate to this, you're not alone. And I think there is more than one answer to these questions. First of all, if you want to grow in your relationship with God and know Him better, reading the Bible and praying is a good place to start, but if you are already doing this and you still feel lost, God seems distant, or you're not sure what He is saying to you, you're probably closer to Him than you feel.
When it comes to "measuring" your relationship with God, feelings are not always an accurate scale. If you are reading your Bible, then God is speaking to you and you are listening. If you are talking to Him, asking for things, and trusting Him to help you, guide you, teach you, etc., you may not see any immediate results or have instant feelings, but His words are in your mind and in your heart, and that makes a difference. So be patient and wait for the promise Jesus gave when He said, "You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you…Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit." (John 15:3-5)
Another thing to consider is God's timing is not usually our timing. We like immediate answers. We like instant change. We prefer to fix, solve, and do things ourselves, but God tells us to wait on Him. In Psalm 37:7, David penned these words: Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. And in Psalm 62:5, he says, Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
When Jesus says to "remain" in Him, waiting is often involved. I must trust in His promises, believe He is with me, and rest in His love. This can be frustrating at times, but it can also be super-rewarding! I always grow closer to Jesus when I wait on Him, and I know Him better at the tail-end of my waiting. I see why I needed to wait, purposes He had in mind I never considered, and I experience His faithfulness. This helps my faith to grow, and it helps me to grow. I become more patient with life. I become more patient with others. I love more.
They say 'knowledge is power', and when it comes to knowing God more deeply, that is definitely true. He strengthens me. He gives me courage. He produces things in me I didn't think I was capable of. So when others say God seems distant even though they are seeking Him, I know God has them in an amazing place…a time of waiting. If you are there now, trust that He is with you. He has wonderful things to show you, teach you, and give you.
Just wait…and you will see :)
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
