Here’s my favorite quote from the White Horse Inn podcast, “Your Own Personal Jesus” from September 23rd, 2012. Starting about 11:06 into the podcast:

 We’re talking about means. We’re talking about God working through certain things as opposed to working immediately upon the human heart.

and then continuing at 11:40,

God speaks to me through the preached Word. God comes to me and draws near through ink and paper, through the water – baptism – through the bread and wine of the supper. They’re real, tangible means. And when I take avail of those means then I can be certain I’m having a personal relationship with God because He’s promised to draw near through those particular means.