One of the chief desires of the human heart is connection. We want to connect with others, to be seen, to be known, and to be loved. Oftentimes, we’re familiar with putting work and effort into cultivating human relationships yet forget about the most important relationship of all—our relationship with God.
But connecting with God seems so abstract. How do you spend time with someone you can’t see or text or grab coffee with? These 7 ways to connect with God and stay connected to God are practical, effective habits a busy woman can use to strengthen her relationship with God.
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Ways to Connect with God
Sometimes life gets in the way of experiencing God’s presence and being in relationship with him. We get distracted by all the commitments we have, or work takes up all our time and mental energy.
Once we realize we’ve drifted from God, we must learn how to connect to God spiritually again. These 7 ways to connect or reconnect with God will help you reestablish your relationship with God.
What does connecting with God do?
Getting connected with God has these benefits:
- Reminds us of God’s love for us
- Strengthens our Faith
- Reminds us of God’s power
- Encourages us when we want to give up
- Allows us to serve others
- Turns our Focus onto God instead of Ourselves
- Humbles us
1. How to Connect with God in Prayer
When it comes to connection with God, it’s no surprise that prayer is at the top of the list. Prayer is our way of communicating with God.
What some forget is that prayer is a conversation, and God will talk back to us in our prayer. Oftentimes, we don’t hear him though because we’re too busy, not listening, or not truly seeking his guidance.
Connecting with God in prayer requires:
- Reverence for God – God is a perfect, almighty, and holy God. We must acknowledge his holiness by showing reverence and respect for who He is.
- Humility – Coming to God with humble hearts and understanding that prayer is a privilege
- Confession – We need to confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness. Otherwise, sin hinders us from experiencing God’s presence.
- Praise – When we go to God with a grocery list of wants and requests, we’re missing the point of prayer, and our connection with God suffers. Prayer is a time to redirect our focus onto God.
- We do that by praising him for who He is and reminding ourselves of that in the process then presenting our requests to Him.
For more tips on how to connect with God in prayer, check out these lessons and stories to unlock the power of prayer.
2. How to Connect with God with Scripture
Getting connected with God without the Bible is impossible. The Bible is God’s Word and his way of revealing Himself to us. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the Holy Scriptures so that we, 2000 years later, could know and understand who God is.
Scripture serves 3 main purposes to help us with how to connect to God:
- Reveals our Sin to us – God’s commands and laws show us what is moral and right. As none of us can live up to His perfect standard, Scripture shows us how we fall short. This prompts us to repent and turn to God for our deepest spiritual need: salvation.
- Shows Salvation through Jesus – The Bible’s climax is the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who offers us eternal spiritual life through Him. Jesus was able to suffer the punishment for our sins so that through trust in Him, we receive grace, mercy, and joy. This is one of the keys of the gospel.
- Guides us through life – Though God’s word was written 2000 years ago, the Bible is timeless. It has instructions, wisdom, and counsel to help us live our every day lives in a way that glorifies God, protects our hearts, and thwarts evil.
Books on Staying Connected with God
To supplement Scripture, here are 6 Christian books to help you get connected with God. While these books should not replace the other ways to connect with God, they can assist in deepening your relationship with God.
- Sensing God: Experiencing the Divine in Nature, Food, Music, and Beauty by Joel Clarkson
- Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands by Jen Wilkin
- The Power of Knowing God by Tony Evans
- Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund
- The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
- The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren
3. How to Connect with God in Church
It took a year living abroad for me to appreciate being able to go to church. Without a church option for a year, I longed for the opportunity to learn and be instructed in God’s word.
For me, getting connected with God in church happens in 3 main ways:
- Receive instruction of God’s Word – The sermon or message from the pastor helps me learn more about who God is and what it means to live for him. I appreciate hearing the experience and extra Biblical and historical knowledge that the pastor brings to the Scriptures.
- Relief from life’s worries and distractions – Unlike when I’m studying the Bible at home, being in Church creates a separation for me from life’s worries and distractions. For the next hour, I can truly focus on connecting with God and strengthening my faith in Him.
- Hear Testimonies of God’s Work – Gathering with other followers of Jesus in church is important because I hear about how God is working and has worked in the lives of others. This both inspires and encourages me by reminding me that the God who has transformed others’ lives is the same God that I love and serve.
Do I need church to stay connected to God?
Why can’t I connect to God without church? Many of us have asked ourselves this question before, me included. Sometimes, we decide not to go to church because of excuses like not wanting to get up early, needing to catch up on work on Sunday, or not wanting to spend time and effort finding a good church.
Whether you attend church or not is your decision, but God says this about his people meeting together:
God wants his people to meet together, encourage each other, worship Him, and study His word together. That’s the purpose of church.
Church is not a building, a movement, a philosophy, or a religion.
Kara J Lovett Co.
Church is God’s people working together to do God’s work.
The real question is: Do you want to be apart of it?
Special Note about Staying Connected to God at Church
Sadly, some people have had terrible experiences at churches, whether it wasn’t feeling welcome, receiving false teaching, witnessing a scandal, being hurt by another church member, or something else. I would never downplay the hurt that could come from such an experience.
Please know that the church is full of sinful people who make mistakes, and God also hurts when a church member mistreats one of his own. These are feelings and experiences you should take to God.
Be honest to him about the difficulties of going to church. With His guidance, you can then make the right decision for you.
4. How to Connect with God in Community
We were not meant to walk the Christian life alone—and we can’t. Going against the grain of culture, as a Christian, we’ve made a conscious choice to obey God’s Word and God’s wisdom instead of the world’s ways.
Being a part of a Christian community also helps us in 3 main ways to connect with God:
- Praying for each other – If we’re dealing with a mental block and feel unable to connect with God, our Christian peers can readily pray for us. Having a strong prayer warrior friend(s) increases our ability to fight spiritual warfare and still rely on God when our faith is small.
- Learning from each other – A strong Christian community brings people of different spiritual maturities and experiences together. As a result, we can learn from each other, offer godly counsel rooted in God’s word, and study God’s word together.
- Experience God’s Presence – Sometimes when we’re struggling with getting connected with God, our Christian community can help us experience God’s presence.
This past year when I had to come to terms with a disappointment, I remember crying on my couch with my roommate. She wrapped her arms around me and just prayed for me quietly. All I wanted in that moment was for God to wrap his arms around me and to know that he cared.
However, through my friend, I experienced God’s presence. It was as though God’s arms were wrapped around me because she was showing God’s love to me in my darkest moment.
5. How to Connect with God through Worship
Worshipping the Lord is not about singing, playing instruments, lifting your hands, or shouting praises. In fact, many people do those things don’t know how to reconnect with God after a worship service.
True worship, however, is something you do everyday. Connecting with God through Worship requires:
- Respect and Reverence for God’s Holiness
- Praise for who God is
- Thankfulness for what God has done
- Selflessness – putting God before yourself
- Recognition of Your Need for Jesus
So many times, we get caught up in the worship experience and miss the point of a connection with God.
6. How to Connect with God in Service
Connecting with God means connecting with his mission. As a believer in Jesus, we are part of his kingdom and expected to do his work here on earth.
Therefore, another important and effective way to connect with God is by serving others. We are to do the things that Jesus did while he was on earth and love others as He did (1 John 4:7-8).
Being part of God’s work and mission connects us to Him as we are doing the good works He commands. We become closer to God when we share the good news of salvation with those we encounter every day.
7. How to Connect with God in the Every Day
You don’t need a big worship event, church service, or Bible study meeting to stay connected to God. In fact, connecting with God is meant to be an every day, every moment event.
- When’s the last time you saw a sunrise or sunset? Nature was created by God, and we connect with God by enjoying nature—watching a sunset, hiking, playing sports outside, swimming in the ocean, or admiring animals at the zoo.
- What are you thankful for this morning? Gratitude keeps us connected to God by turning our focus onto his loving-kindness and generosity. Keeping a daily gratitude journal helps with building this habit.
- How can God use you today in your work or profession? The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)
Stay Connected to God
Even if your faith is shaken or you’re unsure how to connect with God spiritually again, it’s never too late to connect with God again. He is the God of second chances.
Employ these 7 ways to connect with God and stay connected to God to strengthen your faith, encourage your heart, and accomplish the purpose He has for you.
How do you connect to God?
Leave me a comment below!
Check out More Posts about Growing in Faith:
- 40 Best Christian Books for Young Women
- 5 Truths to Remind Yourself God Has Not Forgotten You
- Making Time for God in a Busy Woman’s Life
- 5 Keys to Accepting God’s Love
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