The story goes that a young woman (novice) approached the teacher of the community (abbot) and stated that she wanted to experience God’s presence.
He gave her a set of spiritual practices. She followed them faithfully, studying, praying, meditating, fasting.
On another day sometime later she saw the teacher and said, “I have not yet experienced God, yet I have followed all the practices faithfully.”
“Does the sun rise every morning?” he asked. “What causes it to rise?”
“Nothing,” she said.
“It’s the same with the experience of God.”
So, why pursue the spiritual practices?
It is the preparation for the experience. To change metaphors, it is like preparing the soil and planting the seeds. Then one day the crop grows and yields fruit.
Faith Venture 
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