Is God close to you? How close? How can you feel His presence in your heart?
God is close to you but you have to realize his closeness. In Holy Quran it is mentioned that God is closer than your jugular vein. Then why is that sometimes we feel him very far away?
Yes?!
I would like to give you my personal answer for this question. It is because we close our eyes to God and do not see Him. Just as a person who is sleeping or one who has closed his eyes tightly cannot see the nearest thing to him, similarly a person whose consciousness is polluted with worldly thoughts cannot feel God’s presence in his heart.
Endeavors to get close to God: Fasting
But one can endeavor to get closer to God. That endeavor can be of physical level and mental level. At mental level one has to improve his knowledge of God by reading the revealed scriptures. That is the way to get closer to God at mental level.
There are some practices at physical level which can take you closer to God. Fasting is one such practice. There are several reasons to fast but for spiritual purpose it is denying the fleshly desires. It is submitting to the will of God rather than the will of the flesh.
How to fast to get close to God
Determination: The first and basic thing is determination. Without sufficient determination and will the endeavor will not be fruitful. During the fast hunger and struggle will surely come your way to attack you. So be careful not to fall in the trap.
Prayers: Pray deeply. The prayers should very focused and meaningful. They should reach God. Give up all the worries and be fearless while praying. Fasting truly improves your intensity of prayers.
Gratitude: Thanksgiving and praise take you immediately very near to God. In Bible it is mentioned that we connect to God through His Holy Spirit in Thanksgiving. When you get that reverence worship Him with whole heart. God and God alone we should worship and there should no idol besides God, the Lord of the Universe.
This article is an humble attempt to draw you closer to God. We consider it fruitful if someone really gets closer to God and gives his/her valuable comments. Thanks!
