Experiencing God is not just for the mystic. All of us can know Him and be close to Him. In fact, as author and researcher Rob Moll explains, we were designed to know God.

Rob joins us to talk about the findings laid out in his new book . From brain science to prayer and worship, we discover anew what it means to be created in the image of God.

Here are the paths our conversation takes:

Our bodies are designed with a purpose. Finding unique purpose is something all people are after, not just Christians.

The brain is equipped to run all the functions of the body, and it is also designed for spiritual experience. For instance, as we prayer our brains go to work in a special way.

As part of finding our purpose, we’re made to worship. We are hard wired to have that experience. We see the same design fulfilled through prayer. That’s a process that increases our rational capacity. It also enhances our sense of compassion and ability to connect with other people.

Highlight: Prayer & the brain

With these insights considered, Rob says God created our brain in order to fulfill His call to love Him and love our neighbors.

As we live out our purpose, it’s extremely helpful to surround ourselves with others who follow Christ. As we together practice spiritual disciplines and prayer, that impacts us on a subconscious level. Our brains are really changing.

So what happens if we try to live a life at odds with our created purpose? Rob paints that picture and notes that, in his estimation, it can be a path to physical illness.

Then, what’s the relationship between our thoughts and our suffering? Can we – in some sense – think ourselves out of illnesses? Rob tackles the question and notes that there are spiritual and physical components to our world.

Our body, His design