Thoughts On Communicating With God

Although I may not explain it to you the way a great theologian would, I can tell you from my heart and from my own experiences what prayer means to me. Prayer opens the door to the Kingdom of God -- it's the thing that allows us to "stand boldly before His Throne of Grace." (Hebrews 4:16) It sounds like a gigantic action, doesn't it? Well, it is a powerful thing, but it's not all that hard to do.

Prayer is a conversation with God. It's simply talking to Him like you would talk to a close friend. Unlike most people, though, you can tell God what you really feel and think, and he won't get mad at you or think you're stupid. He delights in you bearing your heart and soul to Him.

Anytime is a good time to pray. The Bible says in First Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing." Imagine that you had a friend who was spending the day with you. No matter where you went or what you did, you would communicate with that person because it would hurt their feelings if you didn't. Well, if you have accepted Jesus into your heart, then you have a friend who spends the days with you. His Name is The Holy Spirit. He is God, the third person of the Trinity, and He loves for us to talk with Him.

Of course, we can't always verbally talk to God, but there are other ways to pray. You can pray in your mind, you can pray through praise and worship songs, or you can pray by writing letters or diary entries to God. But no matter how you may pray, pray in Jesus' Name. For He is the way to the Father. (John 14:6)

There are many great promises in the Bible about prayer. Here are a few of them:

"The Lord is near unto all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth." (Psalms 145:18)
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (God in Jeremiah 33:3)

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made unto this place." (God in Second Chronicles 7:14-15)

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him [God], that if we ask anything according to His Will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we've desired of Him."  (First John 5:14-15)

"Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you...If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him?" (Jesus in Matthew 7:7, 11 - King James Version and New Living Translation)

"...For your Father [God] knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." (Matthew 6:6)

Some people think that there is no point in praying because of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:6. But the Lord wants us to pray. Jesus prayed (see Mark 6:46) and many times in His Word He tells us to pray, to ask, to seek, and to knock. Imagine if you had a child that you loved dearly. Let's say that child had some desires and needs that you knew about, yet that child wouldn't tell you. You would feel hurt, wouldn't you? In the same way, God is a loving parent and is hurt when we withhold things from Him.

Well, I hope that these things I have said to you will encourage you to communicate with God. Remember, prayer is a conversation, so God will respond to you. He may not speak with an audible voice, but His Spirit can speak to you through the Bible, your conscious, your feelings, an opportunity, a circumstance, a song, a testimony, a sermon, or a friend. So be alert and listen. God will always listen to you when you pray.

So go ahead...talk to Him. He's longing to hear from you. He's only a prayer away.

(Now it's time for you to pray. I've included parts of a suggested prayer. Wherever you see "...", that's where you say your own personal prayer to the Lord.)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, come into my heart and take my sins away... Help me to make prayer a major part of my life... May I always find You when I pray... I thank You for... I ask You to help these people and situations... Help me in these areas of my life... In Jesus' Holy Name I pray. Amen.

-Eryn Eubanks (May 12th, 2003)