From what I have learned, God works on a totally individual level. How He speaks to you, will be different than how He speaks to someone else. How He makes Himself known to you, can be totally unique to someone else. I believe the reason is that God knows our hearts. He knows what each of us need, more than we do. So while I can give you my anecdotes, and what worked with me, it could be different for you because my experience was a reflection of my heart at the time.

When I was looking for God, and like you, looking for a feeling or experience, I turned to prayer, and the Bible. I made a time JUST for me and God. Not because I thought I HAD to, but I WANTED to. An hour before I went to bed was His time. I dedicated it to Him, and Him alone. I would lay on my bed, and pray. Not some 'holy' prayer. Nothing rehearsed. No 'format'. I just talked to Him like a best friend. I would ask the Holy Spirit to come read with me, to listen to me read the Bible. To open my eyes. Speak to my heart. Then I would start reading. Didn't matter where, I would just read.

Nothing happened.

This went on for about a week and nothing. Two weeks... Nothing. But I kept pressing in. Though I didn't feel God in that time, I did notice that things were changing in me. Subtle things. Attitudes. Reactions. Addictions. I kept on.

Again, every night, I would open my Bible and pray. Ask again for the Holy Spirit to come, and start to read. I started talking out loud to God as I read. "I don't get this!? Why did this, or that, happen?" but I would continue to read.

Then I started getting dreams. Amazing, fun and exciting dreams. I would wake up in the mornings laughing sometimes. I have always been a dreamer. Even as a boy. As I got older, I dreamed less. I hated that because I always loved to dream. I always had SO much fun them! So for me, it was like God was giving me that back. You, or anyone else reading this, won't understand how special dreams are to me. So for me, in my heart, I felt God was blessing me for the time I was setting aside for Him. But still.. I didn't 'feel' anything.

Well, I kept going. Kept reading, and kept praying and talking to God, and the dreams got more intense. Then one night, I will never forget it, I laid on my bed, I opened my Bible and just as I was about to pray, I felt this urge to kneel at my bed. Now, that was odd. Never in my life had I done that. Nor had I ever had the urge. But I did. I swear it felt like God was wanting me to. So... I did. I felt like a fool, but I did it. As I was kneeling at the end of my bed, I said the same thing I had said every other night, and asked the Holy Spirit to come read with me. And then He was there, and there are NO words that I know of that can describe it. Love. Pure love. I felt it all over my body. It was a combination of warm, and electricity and you feel it in every cell. My hair stood up everywhere, and I could feel the presence washing over me. It was almost like waves. But I felt it everywhere, and my heart... Wow. It's like the feeling of pure love, but a love like you don't know. It's SO hard to explain.

Anyways, that night I read a lot, and asked God to show me something awesome about Him. I asked Him to give me some insight into Him. That night I had the most incredible dream. So detailed. It took me days to take it all in, and what I learned in the dream, for me, was profound. God answered my question and curiosity, and when I woke up I literally felt like I was floating with excitement, and all the hair on my body was standing on end when I woke up.

I kept doing it, and God kept showing up. It actually became something I looked forward to all day long. I knew that when I got home, and I sat down for my God time, when I would invite the Holy Spirit, I would feel it. Every night. Sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker. But as soon as the words left my lips, the invitation went out, and in that very moment, I would feel His presence on me, and in the room.

That's how God did it for me. I believe that He saw my heart. He saw that I was hungry, and willing to take the time needed to get to know Him. Even when He didn't show up in the beginning, it didn't waver my hunger, or faith. I kept pressing in. I kept inviting. Kept asking. And I believe He honored that by making Himself known in a way that would impact me the most.

A lot of people will suggest approaching God through 'methods', or some 'process' or 'checklist'. In my opinion though, you approach God with an open and hungry heart. You approach Him like a friend, a father, or someone you have known all your life. Speak to him like you would anyone else. Ask questions. Voice concerns. But do so with a hungry heart. I believe God sees that, and I personally feel that the best way to get to close to God is to just be yourself, open up, and keep the hunger inside you, even when He seems to be silent. Like I said, I think God works on an individual basis, and He knows your heart more than anything.