Thanking God

Spiritual Pathways  

Our praise and worship of God draws us into greater intimacy with him. As we all experience this global pause of our normal routines, it is as if God is calling us to quiet ourselves to seek him in a deeper way. He asks us to release our control and let him take the lead so we can discover what is real, stable and foundational. And when this time of crisis is over, God wants us to maintain this new normal of close communion with him. So, what does this intimacy with God look like for each of us?  

In John Ortberg’s book, God Is Closer Than You Think, he describes seven spiritual pathways to God. It was so freeing for me to discover that “our individual uniqueness means we will all experience God’s presence and learn to relate to him in different ways, in ways that correspond to the wiring patterns he himself created in us.” Each of us finds that place of intimacy with God in a different way. In which pathway(s) do you see yourself? 

Intellectual pathway: Do you draw closer to God through your mind as you study Scripture? Do you hear God best when you read, engage in deep thought and conversation, or sit under sound teaching? 

Relational pathway: Do you sense God’s presence most when you are involved in significant relationships? Does God speak to you through conversations with others? 

Serving pathway: Are you aware of God most when you help others? Do you feel God’s pleasure and experience joy when you serve? 

Worship pathway: Do you feel deep inner release when you praise and adore our Lord? Do you experience the reality of God as you express your worship to him? 

Activist pathway: Do you have a passion to get involved in every good cause? Do you jump in and work with zeal to fix problems for God’s glory? 

Contemplative pathway: Do you love large blocks of uninterrupted time alone? Can you sense God most in the silence when all the distractions and noise of life are removed? 

Creation pathway: Are you revitalized and energized by experiencing God’s creation? Do you see God in both the grandeur and minute details of nature? 

No matter your preferred pathway, I encourage you to use it to commune with God. He has created each of us uniquely in his image and calls all of us daily to a path of intimacy with him.