On knowing God in our hearts?

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Struggling1

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Since most of the time the relationship we have with God from my understanding is not going to be through major signs or even anything physical how do you know him besides intellectually? I know you have to have faith but how do you know God is working through your life or is communicating to you? Especially if it’s not a voice in your head or something? How do I begin to train myself besides prayer to hear him and know him?
 
Dear Struggling1,
First off, set your standards for prayer. If you have never done a holy hour before, don’t start trying to make a daily holy hour. It probably won’t work. Start small: 5-10 minutes in silence, maybe 15 if you feel up to it. Eventually you’ll be able to stay in prayer longer.
Secondly, silence is important. And I don’t just mean physical silence, though that is important. Mental silence is also a huge component. I’m no expert on contemplation/meditation, but I know of some people who focus their minds on prayer by periodically reciting a simple prayer (“Jesus, I trust in You”, “I love you, I adore you, I lay my life before you”, etc…) Try to clear your mind of the problems of the past or future, and just make an attempt to listen. If you need to, write down the thoughts that keep popping up in your mind that are distracting you; that way you won’t forget them if they’re important.
Thirdly, just talk to God like your best friend. Tell Him the funny stories you would tell your friends, complain to Him about how crummy your day was, rant to Him about that annoying person you you saw… Talk to Him, and then sit in a bit of silence to see what He has to say.
Fourthly, don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel anything. It happens sometimes, but the important thing is to keep trying. The best friendships sometimes take a little work, and, for fallen humanity, love can be difficult.
Fifthly, to answer your question about How you know God is there… some days, you just feel it. The deeper you grow in prayer, the more aware you become of God’s Presence everywhere around you. Some days you feel desolate, but that can happen. The good news is that it doesn’t last forever; consolation always follows.
And I know feeling God’s Presence may seem like something only the “super saints” achieve, but I can personally attest to two things:
  1. I have felt God’s Presence many times
  2. I ain’t a saint.
    Ask the Lord to send the Holy Spirit to silence your soul, and, while it may not seem like it at first, amazing things will follow.
    God bless and Mary keep.
 
Thank you so much. I’m going to give this a legitimate shot! I really appreciate it!
 
It also gives me hope that it takes time cause I didn’t give it enough effort and thought I would hear him first thing but relationships take work!
 
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