Yes, you can. And it's one of the things that turns faith from information into an actual relationship.
Here's a quick bit of theology. God is omnipresent, which means He's everywhere. You have never been anywhere God isn't. But the Bible also talks about the manifest presence of God. That's when God makes Himself known in a specific moment, in a way you can actually sense. Peter preached, "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19–20 ESV).
"So what does that actually look like?" It's not always a light from heaven. Usually it's quieter. It might look like:
Sitting in a hospital waiting room and feeling a peace that makes absolutely no sense.
Reading your Bible on an ordinary Tuesday and having a verse hit you like God wrote it for this exact week.
Standing in worship and suddenly being undone, and you can't really explain why.
That's not just emotion. That's God. For me lately, it's been The Chosen. Every time I watch it, the Bible stories I love come alive, and I end up pausing the show to just pray and worship. I'm a grown man crying at a TV show about Jesus. I'm okay with it.
And here's why it matters: "In your presence there is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11 ESV). Everything we're really looking for is found there.
So why don't we experience it more? Here's the honest answer. We don't give God the time, space and environment He shows up in. God usually shows up where He's wanted, not where He's tolerated. That's why, for a lot of people, the only times they've felt God's presence were in a church service or in a desperate moment when they cried out to Him. Imagine what would happen if we gave Him more than five distracted minutes a week, mostly on Sunday, while checking our phones.
So here's how to start:
Make space. Find a time and place to be alone with God, without your phone buzzing.
Start with worship. Put on a worship song and actually focus on Him, not your to-do list.
Get quiet and listen. Don't ask Him for anything yet. Just be with Him and ask, "Lord, what are You saying to me?"
Keep showing up. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8 ESV).
You may end up saying what Jacob said after God met him in the middle of nowhere: "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it" (Genesis 28:16 ESV).
Scripture: Acts 3:19–20; Psalm 16:11; James 4:8; Genesis 28:16; Acts 9:3–6