What do I need to do to prepare myself to experience God?

Joshua 24:31The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel.

Philippians 3:9-11I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Philippians 4:6-7Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Prayer invites God to be active in our lives and it enables us to share our experiences with him. We can share our joys and thankfulness, our pains and struggles, our daily concerns, and anything else that’s on our minds when we come to God in prayer. The more we grow in prayer, the more we’ll become aware of how God is at work in our lives during the good, the bad, and even the mundane. The elders in Israel at the time of Joshua personally saw God work in their lives and these memories inspired them and others to serve God during their lifetimes. In the same way, we can draw inspiration from our past experiences with God and trust him with our future.