Close to God, How Can We Do It? (Part 1)

Many people want to have a close relationship with God, and this is a noble aspiration.

Yet, of course, some may also wonder: why do we need to draw near to God? And what steps can we take to do it?

The Bible has already stated why and how we can deepen our relationship with God:

Why Is Being Close to God Important?

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands,
they have mouths, but cannot speak, they have eyes, but cannot see,
they have ears, but cannot hear, they have noses, but cannot smell,
they have hands, but cannot feel, they have feet, but cannot walk, and no sound comes from their throats.
Those who make them will become like them, and so will all who trust in them.

– Psalm 115:4-8

The Psalms say that we will become like what we worship. If we worship idols, we will become like those idols. If we worship God, we too will seek to become more like Him. So, being close to God is important so that our character grows closer to God's character.

Becoming like Christ is the calling of every person who believes in God, and we can follow His example through the way Jesus lived. Having the character of Christ will make our lives a blessing to many people. And someone can be said to be close to God if their character is becoming more like Jesus. Of course, this comes through various ongoing processes of character formation.

To know Jesus' character more deeply, we need to build a relationship with Him by putting into practice what we learn from the Bible. In that way, God shapes our character so that it grows closer to His.

What I desire is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. – Philippians 3:10

In other words, becoming like Jesus is about our relationship with Him. Having a close relationship with God will affect every aspect of our lives. Before I knew Jesus, forgiving was something very difficult for me to do. But after seeing how Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, my view of forgiveness changed. Even more than that, God Himself has forgiven my sins.

Here are the first three things we can practice in pursuing a close relationship with God:

1. Prepare Your Heart and Mind to Draw Near 

Jesus answered him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37

The very first and most important thing in building a relationship with God is preparing our hearts and minds. God wants to be the priority in every area of our lives, above work, a spouse, children, hobbies, and material things.

Have your heart and mind ever been out of sync with your actions when you are with God? For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government urged the public to practice physical distancing, so we held worship services online. During worship, did you come with your heart and mind fixed on God? Or were you careless throughout the service, for example while checking your social media accounts or chatting?

Preparing our hearts and minds means pouring out all our heart, soul, body, and mind to build a relationship with God. For example, before worship, we turn off our phones and find a quiet room. Or, for our quiet time, we choose a special time, a privateplace, pray first, then write down the results of our reflection and what we learn.

2. Study His Word to Draw Near to God

You do well to pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. – 2 Peter 1:19

In the Old Testament, we see how God loved to speak with people who were close to Him. In the modern era, God actually still speaks to us through His Word, namely the Bible.

God's Word contains His thoughts. If we want our relationship with God to grow, we need to read and study His Word every day. In that way, we increasingly understand what pleases God and what makes Him angry or grieved.

3. Pray Deeply

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth. – Psalm 34:2

To pray “deeply” means to pray earnestly, openly, and sincerely desiring to build communication with God, not carelessly or in a rush. If reading the Bible is our way of listening to God's voice, prayer is our way of speaking to Him. And God delights to hear His children praise and give thanks to Him. 

For this reason, we can follow the structure of the Lord's Prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples. Praying deeply refers to the relationship of a Child with the Father; that means we honor God the way a child relates to his father: not stiff or formal. We begin prayer by praising God, confessing sin, and only then making our requests to Him. You can learn the pattern of the Lord's Prayer more clearly here.

David was a man who had a close relationship with God. Through his prayers recorded in the Psalms, he praised God, confessed his sin, and presented his needs to God. When his first son with Bathsheba was sick, David prayed earnestly, pleading with God while fasting and lying on the ground. Praying deeply shows the sincerity of our hearts in trusting that God will give the best answer according to His will. 

It is a tremendous joy when we can understand the importance of a close relationship with God. To reach that, we need ongoing action. Begin by preparing our hearts and minds, then continue by communicating with God through prayer and meditation on His Word. 

As we put the three steps above into practice, let us learn the next three steps in part 2 at the following link.

-

Related Articles:

• Parenting Seminar: How to Raise Competent & Confident Children
• Parents' Love: Prioritizing the Heart, Not Appearance
• Are These 7 Signs of a Happy Family Already Present in Your Family?
• A Harmonious Family Does Not Fall from the Sky
• Children: A Hindrance or an Encouragement in Serving God?

-