In touch with The Living God
You accept there is a God. Do you have faith in Him?
To recognize the existence of a Superior Being is just like having a casual acquaintance. You may have ideas about God, but your views do not change your life.
Faith, on the other hand, is like a close friend. Both faith and friendship are built on understanding and trust. Both require time, effort and giving of self. Both offer a resource of strength.
Communication with God
Mutual understanding sets a friend apart from an acquaintance. Good friends express themselves honestly and openly to each other and listen to each other with sincere interest.
The key to a lasting friendship is to maintain this communication, to keep in touch.
The same kind of communication is essential in your relationship with the Creator.
How do you presently express your faith? You may pray, go to church, observe holy days and sacraments, give money or perhaps just try to be a good humanitarian.
The language that communicates most effectively to God is your day to day behavior.
Your actions, attitudes and prayers convey to Him how genuine you are in your faith and how seriously you are trying to respond to Him.
On the other side, how do you “listen” to God? You may go to hear a priest or minister, recognize God’s care and guidance in your life or believe in His presence in a less tangible way. A church building and sacred music — or the beauty of nature — may give you a feeling of closeness to God.
The surest way to receive and benefit from God’s message is to read and study it for yourself. The Bible, in a very real sense, is God’s direct line to humanity. In it He reveals His character and His purpose.
Don’t be satisfied with second hand listening.
If you put personal effort into understanding your Bible you will more readily see God’s influence in the world and your own life, recognize the outworking of His purpose in world events, and feel the impact of His truth.
Prayer
You have access to God’s word through the Bible. You also have a channel to express your thoughts to Him— prayer.
Prayer provides a way for you to ask God to guide your life, to thank Him and to express confidence in Him.
Moreover, the Almighty hears and responds to prayer if it is offered in faith. The Creator of the universe is interested and concerned about individual human beings. He wants to help those who put their trust in Him.
This doesn’t mean that God spares the true believer from suffering.
Sometimes He presents challenges, opportunities for personal growth and strengthening. But always He provides for basic needs:
“I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” Psalm 37, verse 25
Like a loving Father, He knows better than His children what they really need in order to develop the right kind of character. His guidance might come in the form of discipline.
For example, He may allow the believer to suffer the consequences of wrong acts or attitudes.
The Bible stresses that the prayers of those who have a true and active faith receive His special attention.
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.” Psalm 34, verse 15
The book of Psalms, in the middle of the Bible, contains examples of many different kinds of prayers. Each Psalm expresses a mind truly in touch with God — aware of His love, power and absolute goodness, and at the same time of the human situation.
To anyone who seeks to know God, the Psalms are a must for thoughtful reading.
Communication brings results
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