How Can I Know If God Is With Me?

Mar 5

You have made us for yourself, O Lord and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

St. Augustine of Hippo

We all want to be united to God. But practically, how do we know if we are united with God?

In the previous article, we concluded that, “It is through Jesus, by Jesus, and in Jesus that we are united to every other believer and God.”

Yet perhaps we feel that God is distant.

Or you wonder if Jesus loves you, in particular.

Or we are overwhelmed with guilt because we can’t overcome a particular sin.

At times, we might struggle to feel close to God for no fault of our own. One of the most difficult challenges after I experienced spiritual abuse was how slowly I regained a sense of connection to God.

So it’s understandable to ask the question:

Ok, Jesus is the one who unites us to God.
But how do I know if I’m united to Jesus?

One way we can answer this question is by listening to what Jesus told his disciples.

Because throughout his ministry, he clearly explained who was connected to him - and who was not.

In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, Jesus describes the identity and values of his disciples. As the Messiah, he’s explaining, “Here’s how citizens of my kingdom live.”

At the end of the Sermon, he distinguishes between people who merely say, “Lord, Lord,” and those who put Jesus’ words into practice.

We read in Matthew 7:21,

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Many Christians don’t know what to do with this verse.

Over and over, we’re told that we are “saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

But Paul and Jesus are in complete agreement.

The very next verse in Ephesians 2 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

We are saved by faith so that we can be faithful.

Who saves us? Jesus.

How does Jesus save us? We place our faith in him.

How do we know that Jesus has saved us?

We recognize that we are faithful to Jesus.

So, how do you know if you are united to Jesus?

Ask yourself: Do I often feel led by the Holy Spirit to obey Jesus?

Then, put your fears at rest. You are united to God.

As 1 John 2:3 teaches us, “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands.”

Do you struggle to feel united to God? You’re not alone.

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