The obvious answer would be : to make room for God (just like how we all have had to clean our room/closet/desk/drawer to make room for something else). But again, what does that look like? What would it look like to have a life with God in it? You may be able to answer this question with a lot of good, practical applications for your life, but ultimately it starts with the foundation of our relationship with God: faith.
Faith. This is something that is often talked about and this word is used frequently in church settings, but what does it really mean? The simplest way to look at it is the idea of believing and trusting in something/someone, despite not necessarily being able to prove it or see it.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
- Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
You might think to yourself that having faith in God is tough. And you're right, it is. What are some of the reasons why faith in God is hard for you? Some common answers might be because faith in God does not result in immediate results/benefits (we can't always see the cause and effect relationship), because our world doesn't encourage this type of behaviour and instead teaches us the "trust only yourself" type of mentality, or that because we cannot actually see God in the flesh.
The funny thing is, faith itself is a very natural thing. We put our trust in a lot of things that we don't even think about. For example, you are trusting right now that the chair you are sitting on will hold you up and not collapse on you. You don't spend too much time (unless it's a terribly unsturdy chair) thinking about whether or not you are going to fall. You are also trusting at this time that your heart will faithfully continue to pump blood to your body and that your lungs will not collapse. You don't spend hours thinking about whether or not your heart is going to stop beating, nor do you focus on your heart beat very often. The reason why we don't worry too much about these things is because it's ultimately out of our control. We cannot force our heart to continue beating by trying to control our brain and our thinking. It is out of our control, so we just let it be, trusting (in most circumstances) that it will continue on doing its job.
So one of the main reasons why we might struggle with having faith in God is because we want to be in control of our life and our destiny, and sometimes may even want to control God so that we can get what we want. When we feel that we can't trust in God (and ultimately his character), and therefore feel like we have to take matter into our own hands, that is when our faith in Him is lost. We may even treat God as a bargaining tool- being "good" for something in return from Him.
In what area(s) in your life do you feel the need to control? In what area(s) in your life do you have difficulty entrusting into God's hands?
How do we trust/have faith in something? First of all, we have to give up control. Realize that we cannot control God, and that He does know what is best for us. But giving up control also only happens if we know that we can trust in that thing to care for us.
Read Romans 8:28-39. This passage is so rich with the evidence and assurance of God's love and His Sovereignty in our lives. We can surely entrust our lives and have faith in this God.
Our lives are usually filled to the brim with school, work, family, friends, volunteering, and many other activities that make it hard for us focus on just God most of the time. But the goal is not therefore to shut everything else out and just focus on God- that is impossible! But instead, to see and notice God more often in your everyday life. Our lives are kind of like a television screen, where different parts of our lives, or even each day is like a different show or channel. The goal is to have God flash across the screen more often compared to anything else.
This again, is not a natural thing for us to do. It is oftentimes difficult to see God in our everyday lives, especially if we are not looking for Him. But what is amazing, is that He doesn't leave us alone! God comes and draws us closer to Him. Those times in your life when you see God and know He is working are orchestrated by Him- that is Him pulling you closer to Him. Those moments when you can feel God with you, that is the work of the Holy Spirit within you, drawing you close to God. It's not a matter of just "trying harder" to see God and realize His presence in our lives. By His grace, He has not only redeemed and justified us, He is continually at work pulling you closer to Him by the work of the Holy Spirit!
And every time God does this, it is important to remember to respond to His calling! Acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit allowing you to see God more in your daily life. Thank Him for his everlasting love that is pulling us to know Him more. Pray and ask God to reveal himself to you more.
Psalm 46 (read it!) is a great reminder of God's presence in all situations. We see that despite different circumstances (we see natural disasters, internal affairs- civil war, and war from this chapter), God is still present, and He tells us to "Be still, and know that [He] is God" (v.10) in the midst of everything.
So what can we take from all of this? Remember that faith is needed in order to live a life with God in it. And He is a God who can be trusted. We see that through different circumstances, He is there. And by His grace, only He can (and will) continue to draw us near to Him in our everyday lives. Acknowledge it, and thank Him for this gift. The goal is not to just focus on God every second of your life (for that is impossible), but with time, to be able to see Him flash across that screen more and more, trusting that He does and that He will! Try to be intentional and spend some alone time with Him. It is not that we have to talk to Him as a Christian, but that we are so blessed to be able to keep company with Him.
