God Wants You to Know Him

God did not create us simply to know that He exists. He created us to know Him. Throughout Scripture, we see a God who reveals Himself, speaks to His people, teaches them His ways, corrects them when they wander, receives them when they return, and invites them to walk with Him. Christianity is not just a set of beliefs we agree with. Through Jesus Christ, we are brought into a real relationship with the living God.

And that relationship becomes the foundation for everything else. The more we know God, the more we begin to understand who we are, what matters, how we should live, and what we should look for in the people we allow close to us. Before asking God to give us the right relationship with another person, it is worth asking ourselves how deeply we are pursuing our relationship with Him.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?

A Relationship With God Is More Than Religion

It is possible to attend church, know Christian language, listen to sermons, and even know quite a bit of Scripture without really learning to walk closely with God. Religious activity can surround our lives without God being at the center of them. A relationship with Him becomes personal when we begin seeking Him for ourselves—talking with Him, learning His Word, trusting His wisdom, obeying Him, and allowing Him into the places in our lives we would rather manage ourselves.

And we cannot talk about having a relationship with God without talking about Jesus Christ. Sin separated humanity from God, and Jesus came to reconcile us to Him. Through Christ, we are forgiven and brought near to the Father. Jesus said, “No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). Our relationship with God begins with Christ, continues through Christ, and grows as we learn to follow Him.

Knowing God will not mean that we understand everything He does. There will be times when His answer is different from ours, His timing seems painfully slow, or His direction requires something we would not have chosen. Relationship means learning who He is well enough to trust Him even then.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WILL CHANGE YOU

The Closer You Walk With Him, the More Your Life Begins to Reflect Him

A growing relationship with God should eventually show up somewhere besides our prayer journal. It begins affecting the way we think, the choices we make, the way we treat people, what we tolerate, how we respond when we are hurt, and what we do when nobody is watching. God is not merely interested in making us feel spiritually encouraged. He is forming us into people who increasingly resemble Jesus Christ.

That transformation takes time. We will stumble. We will discover attitudes that need changing and areas where our thinking has been shaped more by culture, experience, fear, disappointment, or desire than by God’s Word. But as we continue walking with Christ, the Holy Spirit works in those places. We begin seeing fruit—greater love, patience, self-control, faithfulness, kindness, humility, wisdom, and a growing desire to please God.

Jesus gives us the key in John 15:5 (NLT): “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.” Fruit comes from abiding in Christ. We do not manufacture spiritual maturity by trying harder to look Christian. We remain close to Christ and allow His life to work in us.

WHEN YOU FEEL FAR FROM GOD

What Happens When You Don’t Feel Close to God?

There may be seasons when you do not feel particularly close to God. Prayer may feel difficult. You may read your Bible and struggle to concentrate. Life may become busy, disappointment may settle in, or you may realize that you have simply allowed other things to receive more of your attention than God has. Sometimes distance can also follow disobedience when we know God has been dealing with us about something we have resisted.

Do not turn a season of distance into a permanent retreat. Go back to Him. Talk honestly with God about where you are. If there is sin, confess it. If you have wandered, return. If you are confused, ask for wisdom. If you are discouraged, tell Him. God does not require you to get yourself spiritually cleaned up before coming back into His presence.

1 John 1:9 (NLT) reminds us, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Our failures do not have to become hiding places. Through Christ, we can come to God, receive His forgiveness, and continue growing.