Next Step Navigator / Connect with God Daily
Next Step Navigator / Connect with God Daily
Connect with God Daily
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For any relationship to grow, communication is critical. A relationship with God is no different. This is your opportunity to discover the best way to make a meaningful connection.
Communication and time are the keys to growing any relationship—with friends, family, a romantic interest, and yes, even God.
Many people already carry around guilt for not spending enough time or effort connecting with God. Don't worry, this isn't a guilt-heaping-party. We get it. It can be hard, feel weird, and proves difficult to measure.
Instead of treating connecting with God like a New Year's Resolution, attempting to muscle efforts on our strength and jumping from zero to lightspeed overnight, might there be a better way? We think so.
Connecting with God is not something that we need to figure out on our own—Jesus modeled how we can do it. (Spoiler: it's surprisingly simple.)
In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus tells us:
When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
When you pray, don't babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
When you pray, don't babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Prayer isn't meant just for some so-called 'religious elite'. It is for you and me. God doesn't want it to be complex – not to say it is 'easy', but it is meant to be obtainable.
When it comes down to it, there are 3 basic things God wants in your time with Him:
1. God wants REAL relationship
Prayer is a connection between two parties—you and God. The way other people pray doesn't have to be the way you pray... because you aren't them. It's freeing that Jesus tells His followers to go into their room and close the door. There is no one else to impress, no one else to think about, except for God.
Some people connect with God best on their knees, while others connect with God while walking in nature. Some feel closer to God praying in a beautiful church building, while others feel closer to him while sitting on their front porch or on their commute to work.
Prayer is a 'choose your own adventure'. Feel the freedom to try different approaches until you find some that fit you best. Then lather, rinse, and repeat. God wants a real relationship with you, not a relationship based on others' expectations.
2. God wants REAL conversation
When you pray, there is no secret formula, perfect phrase, or specific script you have to use, because prayer isn't a show. It's simply talking to a Father who loves you and wants to hear from you. So pray the way you'd talk to a close friend. Use slang, reference real life events, make jokes, and if a four-letter word slips out every now and then, we won't tell.
The important thing isn't the words you say, but making the attempt to connect with God in an authentic, personal way.
Like any real conversation, it's not supposed to be one-sided either. Prayer is not a talk-with-a-wall, but with a God who actually wants to speak back to you. You're probably not going to hear a booming voice from the heavens, but that doesn't mean He's not speaking. God has many ways that he talks to us. Words from a trusted friend, verses from the Bible that grab your attention, lyrics from a song, a scene from a movie, random thoughts you wouldn't typically think of on your own—these are just a few of the ways God gets our attention.
Lean in and listen. If things sound funny, tell him, ask questions - it's all part of the process. At the end of the day, quality time with God works because He's actually really fond of you.
3. God wants to give you a REAL reward
When you approach God with authenticity and a desire for connection, you will be rewarded.
The reward? It may not be in the way you think. God may or may not give you what you want, but He will give you what you need.
The ultimate reward is a deeper relationship with Him. It's a different type of relationship that you may not be used to. It's one that takes you where you're at and doesn't require you to perform to receive love. It gives you freedom to express your true emotions (yes, even when you're pissed, depressed, or anxious). It's a relationship that, if you let it, will stick with you and lead your life toward purpose and unfathomable growth.
While prayer isn't the only way to connect with God daily (reading scripture and practicing gratitude also come to mind), prayer is the one that you can engage anytime, anyplace, without needing a book or journal.
Prayer is powerful and personal—and it can be the start of a real, life-giving relationship with God.
Are you ready to give this a shot? Here's how you can take steps to grow in your daily time with God.
Download the free Crossroads Anywhere App Designed to strengthen your spiritual fitness - pray for others, read scripture, and practice gratitude.
Want someone to pray for you right now? Use the "chat in" feature at Crossroads.net, and a real-life person will pray for you.
Try keeping a prayer journal. Write down your prayers (it can be flowery prose or just bullet points). As time passes, go back and be reminded of the ways God has worked.
