“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

God is not in some far away heaven. God is not somewhere out beyond the clouds. He is closer to you than the skin on your bones. For, the heart of every person is the dwelling place of God Most High.

However, the majority of humanity is unaware of this truth. And many more followers of the world religions would have an experience of God if they just took the time to make the pilgrimage within themselves rather than visiting some shrine in some holy city or country.

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We don’t need to go anywhere to find God. He is already right where we are. He’s waiting patiently for us in the inner chamber of the temple of our body. And He desires an intimate relationship with all of us. We shouldn’t be leaving Him waiting there all alone. If we wish to unite with God then we must go into our heart. To possess this priceless treasure we must take action. If we do not open and enter the door of our hearts we will not receive the gift of knowledge of Him.

The keys to the door are prayer & meditation. We cannot unite ourselves to God without such practices. For, when we pray there is a moving of the heart & a lifting of the soul towards God. But, there is master key which is even more important than the prayer & mediation and that is love!  For, our prayers only have a true uniting power when the deep love & feelings of our heart is placed behind the words that our mouths are speaking. Lip-service alone we will not fully connect us to the Spirit within us. There has to be love involved for the real bond to be made.

Now though talking with God is great, we can’t just be talkers. We also have to take time to listen in order to have a true dialogue and get to know God intimately. If we just spoke with Him in prayer then our action would just be a monologue; and while God would learn a great deal about our desires and feelings, we would ultimately learn very little or nothing about Him.

And this is why prayer & meditation go hand in hand. We have to take time to stop and listen (meditate) so that we can give God a chance to reply. We have two ears & one mouth for a reason; and therefore, we should be listening twice as much as we are speaking. Though we come from a society which feels we must be saying something all the time & that silence is uncomfortable; trust me when I tell you that, the time spent in silence is never lost or wasted. For, God is found in that still, small voice within! “Be still; and know that I am God” (Psalm (46:10).

So, wait patiently for God’s reply. He doesn’t necessarily have to answer as soon as we stop talking. It may take some time. Try to be aware of your thoughts. For, we are never truly praying or meditating if our mind is thinking about anything other than God. St Teresa of Avila says in her book, The Way of Perfection, “how anyone can pretend to be praying, if his mind is filled with worldly interests is beyond me.” This statement holds great truth, because God will not speak & be heard until He is sure that He has our full focus and undivided attention.

Therefore, know that if you desire to meet with God that we mustn’t go anywhere but within ourselves. The door to His presence is found through the heart & the keys which open the door are loving prayers & devout meditation. Keep your mind focused on Him; remember after you talk (pray) to take some time to listen (meditate); and one day you will hear the voice of God speak back to you. If you don’t believe me, why not give it try & see for yourself?

God bless you on your journey & remember to always – Heed the Spirit,

Anthony