Chandigarh, June 9: In a world that constantly buzzes with distractions, betrayals, and burdens, the silent yearning of the human soul often echoes just one question—“Who will stay with me through it all?” For centuries, people of every faith, culture, and background have turned to one common answer: God.
Whether whispered in temples, mosques, churches, or gurdwaras, the longing to connect with the divine is deeply embedded in human nature. Spiritual scholars say this connection is not just religious doctrine but a deep psychological and emotional necessity—something that holds when all else seems to fall apart.
“When people feel abandoned by the world, God becomes the last safe place. And that becomes their beginning again,” says Dr. Anil Gupta, a spiritual psychologist at the Indian Council of Spiritual Research. “It’s not about ritual, it’s about relationship.”
Religion, regardless of form or tradition, teaches that God is constant, unlike the unpredictable loyalty of people around us. And in times of grief, illness, loneliness or failure, this belief becomes the anchor.
When loved ones betray, when friends vanish at the first sign of struggle, when careers collapse or health declines, the idea that a divine presence still watches over you can breathe life back into a broken soul.
“Even if the whole world forgets you, your Creator never does. That assurance is priceless,” says Sister Claire Fernandes, a nun working with trauma survivors in Mumbai. “We see women who’ve been abandoned by their families, but they rediscover meaning because they believe God hasn’t abandoned them.”
Her belief is supported by multiple studies. A 2015 meta-analysis in the Journal of Religion and Health concluded that people with a stable spiritual practice reported higher levels of emotional resilience and lower symptoms of depression during crises. The study noted that believing in a loving, ever-present God reduced feelings of isolation even in the worst moments of loss.
One of the most profound reasons people seek connection with God is to feel seen and understood in a world that is too fast to care.
“Humans are not just bodies. We are longing souls, and we want to know we belong somewhere greater,” says Islamic scholar Maulana Rafiq Qasmi. “Even when the dunya (world) doesn’t offer space, Allah gives the heart peace.”
From the five daily namaz of Muslims to the Hindu chant of “Om Namah Shivaya,” from Sunday Mass in churches to the silent sitting of Buddhist monks—every religion builds in ways for its followers to stay in daily communion with the divine. These moments become internal check-ins, a time to be still, a time to feel accompanied.
The words may differ, but the message is often the same: You are not alone.
“Prayer becomes the place where we’re no longer pretending,” says Rabbi Eli Cohen of Jerusalem’s Institute of Jewish Renewal. “In front of God, we take off our masks. And that is healing.”
For many, the connection to God isn’t just an emotional crutch—it’s a path to rebuilding identity after deep trauma.
In Delhi, 38-year-old Sangeeta Jain found herself battling suicidal thoughts after losing her son to an accident and her husband to divorce. “I was angry with God at first. But then I started reading the Bhagavad Gita, just two pages a day. Slowly, I started breathing again. I began to feel like maybe, just maybe, I hadn’t been completely forsaken.”
Sangeeta now volunteers at a temple helping others who grieve. “It was the belief that God still had a purpose for me that brought me back. That gave me the strength no person could give.”
Faith-based communities have long understood this transformative power. From Alcoholics Anonymous groups that begin with the phrase “We came to believe in a Power greater than ourselves” to trauma therapy rooted in Christian spiritual direction, modern healing often finds itself intersecting with the divine.
Scholars Agree: Spiritualism Is Rooted in Relationship
Some critics argue that spirituality can exist without religion. While individual experiences vary, most scholars agree that long-term spiritual growth is deeply intertwined with religious structure and belief in God.
“Spiritualism without God often becomes self-serving,” explains Dr. Lisa Connors, a sociologist at Howard University. “But spirituality grounded in a relationship with the divine fosters humility, compassion, and accountability. It’s not just about inner peace, it’s about becoming a better human.”
A study by Pew Research Center in 2022 found that 78% of people who identified as “spiritual and religious” reported feeling a daily sense of purpose, compared to only 33% of those who were spiritual but not religious. Connection to God, framed through religious understanding, appears to provide more than emotional comfort—it provides direction.
What’s remarkable is how across the spiritual spectrum, this theme of divine presence recurs.
In Christianity, God is seen as the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one that is lost. In Islam, He is Ar-Rahman, the Most Merciful. In Hinduism, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, “Surrender to Me; I will deliver you from all sins.” In Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib proclaims, “Those who meditate on God with a sincere heart, to them He is never far.”
In each of these teachings, the message is not about superiority of one religion over another—it is the shared human longing to be held by something infinite.
“There’s a reason every faith says ‘God is near to the brokenhearted,’” says Buddhist teacher Ven. Kelsang Rinchen. “When we suffer, that’s when we stop searching outside and turn within. And inside us, we find the divine.”
As the modern world grows more isolating—digitally connected but emotionally fragmented—the sacred act of seeking God becomes ever more vital. Not as a habit or fear of punishment, but as a lifeline.
People may walk away, systems may fail, even your own strength may collapse. But the divine, however you understand it, remains.
“Faith isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet whisper saying, ‘Keep going. I’m still with you,’” says Pastor Joel Fernandes of Pune. “That’s the voice we need when all others fall silent.”
And for many, that whisper has been enough to rebuild a shattered life. Again and again.
