Have you been searching for God, and following all the recommendations (prayer, confession, trying to live right, trying to practice the 'gifts of the spirit', etc.), and still feel like God is very far way from you? If you still feel like you are alone, and that God is 'way out there', and doesn't seem care about you, here are some suggestions:
Cover the preliminary requirements first: We must immerse ourselves with thoughts and understandings about God. Read religious or metaphysical material, according to our own religious beliefs. Most of us Christians would start with the Bible, and there are many other useful books. Also, if the desire to serve God is uppermost in our minds, we will delight in serving others; for in so doing, we serve God.Prayer: Talk to God in our own words, as though He is right here. For He in indeed an All-Encompassing Spirit, with us, in us, all about us. Also, He is conscious of us, even aware of our thoughts. But we still make the effort to communicate, whether in spoken words or mental thoughts directed towards Him. . Self-Concept: If we are afraid of God, we are not searching in earnest. No one wants to find that which they are afraid of. To take away our fear of facing God, we must make sure we have a clean conscience. Our life goals should include living in a manner pleasing to Him. No one is perfect. But we must try to do that which we know is right. 'The try is counted for righteousness'. When we fail, we confess (speaking in mind or words directly to God or Jesus), and resolve to do better. And we must forgive ourselves for past sins. If we confess our sins, He is quick to forgive. Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more." The Lord's prayer says, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." We must try to forgive others as well. It will help us get closer to God. God is love, and negative feelings (anger, hate, fear, and jealousy) push us away from God.
If We Still Have Feeling of Guilt or Unworthiness:
What if we feel too unworthy of God for Him to come to us? First of all, the question is what makes us feel unworthy. If this is just humility, we should know that God wants us to seek Him out. If it is something in the past that we have repented, confessed to God, and tried to make amends for, know that God has forgiven us. We must forgive ourselves. If it is because of minor mistakes we all make, again we should confess and keep trying to do better. If it is because of a major sin in our present life that we cannot stop, then we should attempt to get help for it. This might be through spiritual and psychological counseling, taking treatment, or going to the law if that is called for. But if we know that we are not doing harm to others, or committing wrongdoing on purpose, and we still hate ourselves and feel extremely unworthy, then we should take action to change our feelings about ourselves. Spiritual and psychological counseling is recommended. Also, we can make self-suggestions in our quiet times. We can suggest to ourselves that we be at peace, that we forgive others and ourselves, that God forgives us and loves us and wants us to be happy. If we don't believe that God really loves us, for the individuals we are, in our meditation times we can tell ourselves that God does indeed love us, and is working with us, as we work with God, to bring about joy, success and fulfillment in our lives. And we open ourselves to accept God's presence, here in our minds and lives right now."Be still and know that I Am God." (Psalm 46:10) Meditate on God daily. We can find a quiet place without disturbances, and sit in a comfortable position where nothing will impede circulation. We close our eyes, and relax as much as possible. Taking a few deep breaths as we begin helps. Though it is not necessary, some people focus their eyes towards the center of the forehead. This helps in conditioning the mind/body take on a meditative state when such a position is assumed. But most important is to relax, and not force anything.
During meditation, we want to bring to our awareness the Holy Spirit, (or God, or Jesus), so we must manifest the right spirit ourselves. Our feelings should be of love, joy, and thankfulness. If we have been experiencing very hard times, we must make the effort to feel hopeful and thankful, to try to lift our spirits. What we to do is to focus only on God, making ourselves receptive to His Holy Spirit. We welcome this loving Holy Spirit, representing the Lord, within us. But before we open ourselves this way, for each meditation, we must first pray to God or Christ to protect us from negative or harmful influences. As we pray for His protection to our souls, we also mentally envision His Spirit as a white light surrounding and filling us with His loving and protecting Presence.
As we meditate, we try to keep our mind (and body) still, while we commune with His Spirit.
To keep distracting thoughts away, we can mentally bring to mind a word or one phrase (affirmation) conveying a positive idea that we would like to magnify in our lives. We can find a quotation or make up one that suits us. Examples are: "Love," "Peace," "Jesus;" "I keep my mind stayed on Thee," "God is Love;" "As I walk daily with Thee, Thou walkest with me," etc. We then try again to bask silently in God's Spirit, focusing on Him or His qualities.
After we have spent some time in silence with the Lord, we close with prayer for others, to send some of the good energy where it is needed. At this end time, we may also bring to mind any decisions we are contemplating. However, we don't want to get uptight about getting the answer to a certain problem during this time with Him. He will help us in His own time, in His own way. Ideas and help may come when we least expect.
It is important to remember that God is a loving Spirit. His Presence will be uplifting, joyous, helpful, peaceful, or guiding. He does not condemn. It is man that condemns, or we that condemn ourselves. God can and definitely does direct us away from illegal or immoral activities (as in Jesus' teachings), but He does not condemn us, as souls. Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more." If a negative, oppressive spirit should seem to be present, that makes us feel bad, or we feel uncomfortable as though someone or something is watching us, be aware that it is not God. If this should happen, stop, pray for God's protection, and try again at another time. Never try to meditate when very tired, angry; or condemning of self or others: just pray. For God's presence, or the Holy Spirit, always makes us feel better. It is always important to pray for God's protection in the spirit world as well as in all areas of our lives. Especially when we are to enter into a quiet prayer and meditation time, we should first pray that God would surround and fill us with His protection. And He will.
These quiet times, being alone in prayer and meditation to God, are very important for all of us to have daily. They help us become more integrated or developed as souls, and to get a good flow of ideas in our daily living.
Awareness of the Presence of God:
God is present everywhere, whether we are aware of it or not. Jesus also said, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). To perceive the Presence of God, first we need to know in faith that this is possible. Though we hear stories of cases when Jesus Himself even actually manifested visibly to some people, this is quite rare. He usually makes His presence felt only in Spirit, as most of us are not ready for more that that. But we need not doubt that He can actually be present, if we feel His Loving Spirit.So, we call upon God, or our Master Jesus, expecting Him to come. Read John, chapter 14. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:15-18). We talk to Him, using our own words, as though He is right with us. If we need to, we can use our imagination to help us be aware of His loving presence. Some like to imagine how He would look if He were physically present. Perhaps better is to imagine Him as an all-enveloping Spirit, right with us. He is conscious and aware of everything. We can mentally picture a White Light surrounding us, filling us. And we can think about the Presence of Christ's Knowing Spirit, or Mind, right here with our own. For God is love, and we must think of Him as He is. There is no need to be concerned that this is just our imagination. God is everywhere, and the Bible promises that He will be with us, especially as we call on Him. What we create with our imagination is not what we worship, but a tool to allow us to begin to appreciate and receive the actual Presence of God. Accepting the possibility enables us to appreciate the reality of His Presence. Of course we don't want to purposely put our words in His mouth, because we don't want to fool ourselves.We pray thanking God or Christ for His love, and His forgiveness, His presence. "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise;" (Psalm 100:4). We thank Him for all the good that is in our lives and for all the good that we hope will come to us. We thank Him because we know He will solve the problems for us, or give us ideas on how to do so. We pray for what which we want, and we thank Him in advance for helping us, knowing in faith that He will help us, however He sees best. If we just want Him to be with us, we thank Him for His love, His care, His protection, and for all our blessings. These feelings of thankfulness, joy, and expectancy help us to realize and receive that which we pray for. "According to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29). As we think about His loving presence, and take on a spirit of thankfulness, we are uplifted. The Holy Spirit comes with love, joy, peace. And we may become aware of His Presence, even far more than we imagined.
Remember that serving God is a lifelong commitment, and that patience if also very important to soul development. The Lord also comes come with His Presence most clearly or deeply perceived in times of His own choosing. This is more likely to occur when one is quiet, perhaps at a time of great need.
Recommended reading: The Holy Bible; The Practice of the Presence of God, by (about) Brother Lawrence; A Search for God by the A.R.E.
