Many Christians and unbelievers ask, “where is God” or “how can I find Him”? Many times in our lives, God may seem distant or not there at all. As Jesus said, “seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened”. But, what if I don’t know the door I should be knocking on? Our faith journey will always have an air of mystery to it, but here are 3 ways I have found that bring me closer to Christ and His divine presence on a daily basis. Try them and share them with your friends.
Want to find God? Find Him in worship. This is probably the starting point, but it’s often the most difficult for even the most devout believer. Open the Scriptures, spend time in prayer, attend church. Fill your day with simple, Christ-centered activities. Christ did not leave us empty handed or alone. Use the tools He left behind.
Want to love God? Love Him by loving one another. I once worked at a fast food restaurant and every afternoon an older man would hobble by on crutches, carrying a beat up old backpack and wearing ragged, dirty clothes. It was pretty obvious this gentleman was homeless. Pretty much, all the crew members stand at the glass door and laugh while making snide comments about him. He never stopped in the restaurant, he just walked by on his way to somewhere. One day, my manager said, “you should stop your laughing, that could be Jesus walking by”. After that, we would take a drink and some food out to the man every day as he walked past. We never knew his name. We just knew Jesus was walking by. My manager was right. Every day, we interact with ten, twenty, maybe even a hundred people. All of them could be Jesus walking by. God is love. When we love one another, even the stranger, we come to know Christ in a more intimate way. We all know the Gospel story, “whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me”.
Looking for God? Look at His Creation. An atheist friend of mine once told me the story of, what I believe, was an encounter with God. She was staying in a coastal, beach town community and decided to take a very late night stroll along the ocean. After going a fair distance, she stopped to rest on a small, sand dune. There was no one else there, just the sound of the crashing waves, the breeze whipping through her hair, the moon glimmering on the horizon. As she recounted the story, she said she heard almost a whisper of a voice. She didn’t know or doesn’t remember what the voice said. But more importantly, my atheist friend described how she suddenly felt connected and aware of everything around her. She felt a part of something bigger. That somewhere was there sitting with her. I think in that moment, God spoke to her.
I think it’s hard to look around at this universe and not see the amazing work of God’s hands. It’s hard to take a walk in the mountains, a ride down the beach or just sit around a campfire at night in your own backyard and look up at the stars and not be in awe of God’s handiwork. It’s a struggle to look at all the fascinating creatures that live with us on this planet and not see some sense of design or reason to it all. Certain people can do it and write it all off as just a feat of random chance. Personally, I can’t. If you’re looking to encounter Christ, get out there in the beauty of God’s wonderful creation.
What are ways you have found God in your faith journey?
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