Connect to God | Northstar Church

We live life enjoyably and effectively only when we are connected with God. – Glenn C. Stewart.

A personal relationship with God is just like a relationship with anyone else in your life. It is fellowship, love, and trust between you and Him. It means to know Him and to be known by Him. It’s much more than just going to church or even reading our Bibles. We were created for relationship with God. In fact, it’s our primary purpose in life. You may have known about God all your life through church and your Christian community, but connecting with Him on an intimate level is different.

One of the most important ways to grow your relationship with Him is to be serious about intentional communication. No relationship succeeds without communication and our relationship with God is no exception. Our expectation is that spending time with God will be an emotional and spiritual high. It may not always be that exciting, but every conversation with your spouse is not exciting all the time but it is necessary and meaningful for those relationships to grow. Quiet time, praying, and studying the Bible may not always be exciting, but it’s the building block to a better connection with God.

The good news is we can pray or simply talk to God no matter where we are. Scripture tells us to “pray continually?” This suggests a prayer mindset and the connection to God should be active all day. So, when you have a tough situation going on in your life, talk to God, seek his guidance. Our relationship with others is important for developing our relationship with God. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” (Proverbs 27:17) We need each other. Learning and growing together with like-minded Christians help us to grow closer to God.

Finally, if we want a personal relationship with God, we need to learn how to depend on Him. We all want to be self-reliant, to have the outcomes of our lives in our hands. That is why we need to learn to depend on God; praying and asking Him for guidance before making a decision, asking Him to be with us throughout the day, or asking Him to give us wisdom in our day-to-day interactions. Depending on God is crucial for developing a strong relationship with Him.

Developing a real connection with God is a process. It won’t happen all at once and sometimes you’ll think your relationship with Him is strong one day and the next day you may wonder if He’s even there. But, that’s a part of the journey. Like any relationship, a relationship with God is complex. You’ll learn more about Him and encounter Him in a deeper, more meaningful way as you go along. As you draw closer to Him, He’ll reveal more of himself to you and teach you more about what He is like.

My prayer is that you experienced a small group that strengthened your faith and closeness to God. If not, I encourage you to join one. Otherwise, you will never know just how much a relationship with Christians around you might strengthen your own personal relationship with God.

Discussion Questions:

Does connecting to God help you connect with other people?
What can we do this week to better connect with God?