And He walks with me, and He talks with me, 

And He tells me I am His own, 

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

These words from the hymn “In the Garden” point to the beauty of a genuine relationship with God. To understand this kind of relationship, we must consider our perfect example: Jesus. While on earth, Christ taught and modeled what a personal relationship with the Father looks like. Scripture reveals many characteristics of this relationship, but we’ll explore only one: sincerity of heart.

Jesus Was Sincere with God

Sincerity is defined as “Honesty of mind or intention; freedom from simulation or hypocrisy . . . Freedom from . . . disguise or false pretense; as the sincerity of a declaration or of love.”¹ One way that Jesus displayed sincerity was by continually opening His heart to God the Father. He expressed His thoughts, feelings, and desires in every situation without hiding anything. Jesus exemplified this sincerity especially when He was about to be arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. Scripture records that He kneels and prays, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42, NLT). Later, Scripture states, “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44, NLT). Jesus was sincere about His torment with the Father, genuinely expressing His desire for His Father to take the cup of suffering away. Yet He also desired to yield to the Father’s will.

That night in the garden—at His life’s lowest moment to that point—Jesus did not hide His agony by busying Himself with family, work, or ministry. Nor did He distract Himself by looking at nature, reading scrolls, or even casually talking to His disciples. He did not try to find the best words to make His request to the Father, nor did He pray repetitive prayers. He did not try to pretend to be strong enough to face the upcoming trial in front of His disciples. Rather, Jesus humbly told His followers, “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me” (Matthew 26:38, CEV). Because of Jesus’s sincerity with the Father, He could be honest and open with the people around Him too. 

Our Savior’s openness with the Father, even in the face of suffering, gives us an example we can trust. We can come to God without any masks, never fearing we’ll be turned away, accused, or rejected. Our loving Father has open ears to listen (1 Peter 3:12), an open heart and mouth to answer (Jeremiah 33:3), and open arms to comfort (Deuteronomy 33:27; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4). Accordingly, the Father saw, listened, answered, and “strengthened” Jesus that night in the garden through an angel (Luke 22:43). New Testament scholar Grant Osborn comments on this verse: “That is deeply meaningful, for as Jesus prays for his followers and strengthens them (22:32), an angel has come to strengthen him in his time of need.”² This strengthening is one of the many ways that the Father expressed His love to the Son while He was on earth.

God desires to fill us with the kind of love He expressed to Jesus that night. However, our lack of sincerity with our Father sometimes prevents us from experiencing that love. Instead of opening our hearts in all sincerity to the God who cares for us (Jeremiah 31:3), we try to numb ourselves by getting busy with family, work, church, and ministry. If this is not enough, we try to distract ourselves with movies, series, videos, books, and/or social media. Sadly, we avoid expressing to the Lord how we feel or what we think about Him and our situations. We pretend we are good, untroubled, and strong enough to face any trial. 

Other times, we seek in other people the love and comfort that only the Father can give us. Since others are limited as we are, the needs of our hearts are unmet. Augustine expressed this reality in the opening lines of his famous work, The Confessions, saying, “our hearts are restless until they rest in you [God]” (1.1). After trying to find love and rest in limited things, Augustine understood that the deepest need of his heart can only be fulfilled by God alone. Any other source of love is limited. Since our Lord is the only One who can satisfy our deepest need, let’s run to our Lord in all sincerity as Jesus did in Gethsemane by going “. . . right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him” (Hebrews 10:22, NLT). We can only experience the love of God through a sincere relationship with our Lord.

How to Enter a Relationship with God

This relationship starts when we are honest about our sins, repenting of them and believing in Jesus—that He is God, that He died on the cross for our sins, and that He rose from the grave (Acts 16:31). By believing in Jesus, we receive God’s gift of salvation and freedom from the punishment that we deserve. It is important to remember that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV). Even though we did not love God, He chose to love us first (1 John 4:19). When we accept His love by believing in Christ, Scripture reveals that God fills our hearts with His love through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). 

If you have never accepted God’s gift of salvation, you can do it now. Jesus is with you right now, at this moment. His ear is ready to listen, and His heart and hand are ready to save you (Psalm 86:5). Tell Jesus in your own words that you place your faith in Him. Pray something like this from the bottom of your heart: Dear Jesus, I repent from my sins, I believe You are God, You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave. I accept You as God’s gift of salvation to me from my sins and from the punishment I deserve. Thank You for coming into my heart, and I look forward to being in heaven with You when You call me to Your presence. In Jesus’s name, Amen. 

Scripture tells us that when you place your faith in Jesus for the first time, there will be great celebration in heaven (Luke 15:10). If you are part of a local church, share this wonderful news with the people there. If you are not in a local church, ask the Lord to show you one where you can learn more about Him. Continue to pray and read your Bible. The Lord will speak to you through His Word. Don’t be afraid of being sincere with Him, sharing your honest feelings and questions. But don’t be disappointed if He doesn’t reveal the answer to your questions immediately. He’ll disclose what your heart needs at the right time.

Returning to Sincerity with God

Maybe you’ve walked with Jesus for years, but you have not always been sincere with God after you were saved. Pause and thank Him for bringing you out of darkness and saving you. Remember that the God who saved you is the same One who sustains you throughout your life (Isaiah 46:4). As a good Father, He delights in you (Zephaniah 3:17). He desires and waits to hear from you (1 John 5:14). If you have limited your relationship with the Lord to church gatherings or you are so involved in ministry, family, school, or work that you no longer spend time alone with Jesus, it is time to ask the Lord to reveal your sin. Repent from it and ask Him to help you return to your first love (Revelation 2:4–5). 

If you feel that your times with Jesus have become monotone, the Lord wants to hear why and how you feel that. You can be sincere with Him about those feelings. As you do so, the Holy Spirit will guide you and transform your time of prayer and Scripture readings into new and delightful moments with Jesus every morning that you wish would never end (Romans 8:26, Lamentations 3:22–23). If your trial has been so hard that you are disappointed with God and no longer desire to pray and read the Bible, the Lord desires to comfort and strengthen you in a way that you have never experienced before as you rest in His Word, Jesus (Matthew 11:28). He wants you to share your thoughts, feelings, and desires with Him. He is not far from you (Acts 17:27); this temporary storm will soon end (2 Corinthians 4:18). Therefore, let us lean on our Beloved, Jesus Christ, to come up from the wilderness (Song of Solomon 8:5).

Whether we are in the valley or mountain top, let us have a sincere relationship with Jesus: one in which we express everything to Him without hiding anything—our joys, victories, desires, sorrows, and frustrations; one in which we let Him speak and comfort us through His Word, prayer, and creation; one in which we love and obey Him all day long. May we open our hearts to the Lord without reservation. 

Notes:

1. Noah Webster: American Dictionary of the English Language, s.v. “Sincerity,” Accessed January 4, 2026, https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/Sincerity.

2. Osborne, Luke, 334.

Author Bio:

Camila A. Roldan Hernandez is pursuing a PhD in Theological Studies at Liberty Theological Seminary. Her research focuses on human flourishing through the gospel of Christ. She enjoys prayer, sharing the gospel, fellowship, exercise, traveling, and nature.

Additional Resources for Growing in Your Walk with the Lord:

Worthy | Identity Bible Study		The Prayer Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Practice of Prayer		Abide Journal		Good Christian Girl
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