"I don't want to test you. I only want you know you."?

Question

These are the words I prayed for so long, and still I do not know God the way in which I want to. I'm a christian, and there have been times where I feel God close to me - but why not now?

Answer 1

Crying out to know God is great. You may be in a better position than you realize. Do you remember Paul saying that he had not attained, but was pressing on to know Christ better. You sound like you posses humility and a hunger for God, that is good. The best way to find God is really through his word and not through feelings gained from some experience. The people who are the most spiritual, who know God best, realize they don't know much. God is infinite, his love and holiness are far beyond us. Keep working to know him, rely on what he says and not on what you feel.

Answer 2

maybe you need to try talking to God more in depth...

like instead tell him how you want to know him...

do you want to know his plan for you?

do you want to have a close relationship with him?

Do you want to heal people in his name?

tell him you want him to tell you things that he has never told anyone else

he is infinite... hes got lots of them

It seems to me, and I am only an outsider, that you might have been taught to pray kinda rigidly??

Pray to God like he was your father. Tell Him how your day went. He's your Dad he likes hearing from ya! And he's always there to listen!

Also, and this one is important, ask Him to make the connection between you and Him stronger, through the Holy Spirit, everytime you pray.

See the Holy Spirit is kinda like your God operator (like the old timey phone operators). He is essentially the means which your prayers get to God. And often our connection between the Holy Spirit and God is weak, or can be stronger. So ask God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus to strengthen your connection between you and God, through the Holy Spirit, so he can hear you loud and clear!

Sounds kinda odd but it works.

But don't forget to praise him, thank him, ask for forgiveness, and then ask for the things you need or need help with. These things you should do everytime you pray.

Don't forget that you can pray to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and they all do certain things.

Jesus is the one you go to when you want him to take something up with God, if you feel God hasn't given your prayer enough attention.

See God likes when you do this. There is actually a way to pray. And when you use certain prayers for certain things, and pray to the right division of the Trinity for certain prayers, your answers are often quicker and the ones you want.

God likes when you are proactive about your prayers. Its like anything, you have to educate yourself and work hard to achieve good outcomes.

If you want to find a job, you don't just look at the same newspaper everyday. You get out there and ask people, and look on the internet, and call people, and look in the newspaper and walk around and go to different places.

Anything in life is all about the effort (energy) you put into things.

Answer 3

I don't know if I can answer this, but maybe I can help simply out of sharing similar feelings at times.

I think Will's definitely got a point, you have to remember that God's never walked away from you. But at the same time, I realise how hard it is to turn that knowledge into something you can use.

If you can't feel God, try using a different sense. He's there to be heard and seen (tasted?) as well.

Good luck my friend.

Answer 4

I don't know if any of us can know God the way we want to. I guess that He shows you what He wants you to know, and wants you to leave the rest up to faith. There are always going to be questions, and periods of time when he seems closer than others.

What I try sometimes is to ask Him what He wants ME to do. I ask Him to fill me with love for other people, and to help me know when someone needs me. To show me better uses of my time which might help me to know Him-things like reading my bible and going to church activities. The more I am around other Christians the closer I feel to God.

I have heard people say that once you reach a certain point in your faith, you have to stop wondering what God can give you and start thinking about what you can give back. I guess if a Christian has this change of mind they will see more of God, because he will be working directly through them. (I just want to point out that I have no idea where you are in your journey...this paragraph was kind of me talking to myself, contemplating my own faith!...)

The important thing is that God knows you want to be close to him. God bless you.

Answer 5

Having a heart that seeks after God is all the proof you need of your own salvation.

God is not a tamed lion, that we can control.

Your soul is the sum product of your life. Everything you do, everything you say, every thought that enters your mind is all wrapped up in your life's product -- your soul.

The whole of the universe is the product of the consciousness of God. We walk, we breathe and act all within the consciousness of God. It's like being in heaven but only experiencing half of the dimensions.

Answer 6

If we stay on the mountain all the time, we would have no reason to pray. When your down in the valley, that's when faith is put to the test. I've felt that way a few times, however we let our faith get weak. Your wanting God to answer your pray, but God will answer in His time.

Answer 7

I agree with Will. You can't expect God to work in your timeline when he lives outside of time.

Let me guess, when you prayed it was for something you wanted to happen pretty soon right? Well you can't expect God to work on our mortal timelines. He sees things plotted out 'till the end. He does things the best way for us in the long run even we usually can't see it yet. Just be patient with God and believe He is who he says He is and that He wants what He said he wants-which is for us to live abundant lives here on Earth.

Answer 8

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:8-13 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Answer 9

he may not always feel close but believe me he is. If he made everyone's life perfect then this world would be pointless there would be no pain no suffering. but thats what heaven is for it's something to look forward to a place were everything is good no pain and no suffering

Answer 10

keep praying, in this world you will not get to personally know God, only see evidence of him in the great works he has accomplished, but after this life, that is when you will get to know him.