How Do You Connect with God?
You were designed to connect with God. We all were, but it can seem overwhelming to actually do it. Today, I share a short example of what it meant to connect with God in my life recently.
You were designed to connect to God.
This will look different for each of us. Some people best connect with God by walking in his nature, while others may feel him best in a church service, singing songs of praise and worship. You might be like me, home alone in the early morning or late evening hours, reading scripture.
4 Tips to Understand the Bible
My top objective with this newsletter/blog is to help you discover God. If you want to know God, you need to learn how to hear him. There is a famous passage in the Gospels where Jesus is talking about the difference between those who are his followers and everyone else. This is what he says:
Just last week, I had a moment reading scripture where I sensed God whispering to my soul. Over the last few months, I’ve been slowly reading through the life of David and the Psalms, and I read this portion of Psalms 42:
But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life. -Psalms 42:8
When I feel God’s nudge on my spirit while reading the Bible, I write down the passage (or portion of the passage) and make a few notes. Sometimes, the notes are just a thought or two, and other times, I will make a point-by-point note.
In this case, I made three simple points.
In the dark moments of my soul, if I turn to God, he will pour out his unfailing love, mercy, and loving kindness on me. 1
I should respond to this mercy with thanksgiving and praise.
God responds to my praise with life.2
That’s it. There is no special incantation to speak. I didn’t have special training (beyond years of practice). I read, followed the “feeling” of God’s Spirit, and wrote down a few thoughts from a few minutes of meditation.
You can do this too.
So, I challenge you to take some time today to practice. Read, be open to God’s direction, and note what you see/feel.
7 Steps to Biblical Meditation
In 1994, The Lion King was released in movie theaters. It was an instant hit, grossing nearly $250 million at the box office alone (to date, it’s made over $1.6 billion!), making it the second most successful movie release of all time and the most successful animated movie of all time. Those records have been eclipsed, but The Lion King is still the
Let me close by thanking a few new newsletter subscribers — Mera, Melanie, and Jamie. I am always blown away by those who are interested in my thoughts.
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A few Hebrew words translate “unfailing love,” but they can also be translated as loving-kindness and mercy, among other things. Unfailing love is one of the core characteristics of the Hebrew God. His covenant love is unbreakable. As followers of Jesus, we are bound to God, and God is bound to us. God is much better at covenant than we are.
Jesus promised to provide abundant life to his followers. This isn’t just alive versus dead life, but a life worth living.
”The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” -John 10:10
Thanks Andy, I needed this
Loyd