The Truth About Approaching God
There aren’t any formulas or hard-and-fast rules when it comes to approaching God or entering His presence.
Also, God does not require perfection.
God understands - even better than we do - that us humans are complex, messy, sinful, and are dealing with multiple things at once (especially us women).
All God wants is your presence.
He also longs for you to pour out your heart, fears, pain, challenges, trials, and anything else on your mind to Him. And/or to just be with Him.
God wants to be that Father, Provider, safe place, still place, etc.
1. Choose a Setting that You Love
You don’t need to be in a church in order to connect with God.
That’s one of the beauties of this relationship. God is everywhere - which means you can be with Him anywhere.
It does help to have a quiet place - even if you like to listen to worship music - so that you’re focused on Him and not distracted by other people, sounds, etc. (Note: This includes putting away your phone or at least silencing notifications.)
But where that place is - that’s entirely up to you. And you can also have more than one.
But I encourage you to have a place (or several) that is comfortable to you and/or that you love.
This means that you can spend time with God on a hike, or sitting in a park, or in your office surrounded by inspiring artwork…there aren’t any restrictions.
Just like there aren’t cookie-cutter Christians (despite what you may have been told or have experienced). God creates each of us to be unique. We have our own experiences, passions, skills, and personalities.
Where do you feel like you? Where do you feel more close to God?
Yes, a lot of times convenience will be key. For example, living with roommates or having a busy schedule. So maybe driving to the local park isn’t something you can do everyday. That’s okay, especially as you start out.
The idea is to establish something that’s comfortable for you and that allows you to establish a routine.
But, as a bonus tip, I would also say look for places that might work closer to home. For example, if you feel close to God in nature, but can’t make it to that local park every day, is there a quiet place outside on campus? Or, if it’s winter, a building with a quiet corner that has a lot of indoor plants? Or, maybe it’s time to invest in some indoor plants for your apartment or room. Create your own space, right in your own home.
2. Approach Him in a Way that’s Uniquely You
There is no “correct way” to talk to God.
As I mentioned earlier, God just wants your presence. He wants to be in a relationship with you. And He wants to hear anything and everything that you’re thinking, dealing with, and worrying about.
We’re also all wired differently.
Sometimes, especially as women, we’re going to need to talk things out. Being single, I talk to God out loud as if He’s another person in the room with me.
But I’m also less of a verbal processor and more of a writer. If that’s true, then it might make sense to have a journal or Google Doc where you can write to God instead of verbally talking to Him. (Trust me - He doesn’t mind.)
Maybe you’re also creative like me. Which means, sometimes, maybe you need to create art to work through what you’re feeling and then present it to God in a “here’s how I feel Lord” kind of way.
God also tends to speak to me when I’m listening to Christian music. Maybe God speaks to you through art and things can be a two-way conversation between different mediums.
The main goal is to talk to God on a regular basis. But how you talk to Him can align with who you are, what pain you’re currently working through, and how God has uniquely wired you.
This is also all a process. Start with what feels comfortable to you, and allow yourself to naturally grow in your relationship with God. (And don’t be surprised if He helps you along the way.)
Note: See Episode #112 for additional tips on prayer.
Devise a Starter Plan
There’s a canvas artwork hanging in my office that says: Start Somewhere.
That’s what I want you to do.
I’m not going to give you some massive goal - such as you need to be in God’s presence X times a week.
This is about building a solid, long-term relationship with God, yes. But you need to start with small, doable steps that will lead to growth and then more growth and then even more growth - naturally.
So, I want you to brainstorm about what you feel comfortable with.
You might not feel 100% comfortable - because growth is never 100% comfortable. That’s why it’s growth.
But aim for somewhere around 60-80%.
Ask yourself three main questions:
Where do you feel comfortable spending time with God? (Taking into consideration a quiet, distraction-free place. And also possibly convenience.)
How do you want to talk to God? (Verbally? Writing in a journal? Listening to music? Reading the Bible or listening to an audio version? Making art? A combination thereof?)
How often will you meet with God? (Daily? 2-3 times a week? Etc. Note: Be sure it’s at least once a week. If possible, I recommend at least 2-3.)
Decide on a starter plan and write it down.
This isn’t something that needs to be set in stone forever. You’ll likely want to adjust things as your level of comfortability changes - and life changes. Gets more busy, schedule changes, etc.
The idea is to create a strategic plan to get you moving forward - no matter how you feel.
Even if you feel unworthy on a day, stick to the plan and pour out your feelings to God. He - even more than this plan - is what’s going to give you a breakthrough. But you need to take these initial steps.
Create a plan; adjust as needed; but make it a serious goal to stick to it as much as possible.
If your initial plan doesn’t end up working well, adjust and try something else. But don’t give up.
And as God meets you and speaks to you, and things change for the better, it might be helpful to write down those happenings. It will help to remind you of what God has done on the days when you - or the enemy - is trying to find a reason to do something else instead.