A Heart to Heart Conversation…
There is nothing better than having a heart to heart conversation with someone who really gets you. Some of us feel like we have that person that gets us, some of us don’t. But who gets you all of the time? On every subject? Can I pull the God card? Yep. All of us need a safe place to pour out our hearts in the presence of someone who really gets all of our nuances, fears, and back-story. Our Heavenly Father is that safe place for all of us. Yet, so many people don’t see the Lord as a safe place or a good conversationalist. The safest and most honest conversation in the world actually feels awkward, one sided, and formal to many.I want to offer 4 ways that I hope will help encourage you in your conversations with God:1. Get Alone.Where you pray determines how you will pray. Jesus often got away so He could be alone with His Father without distractions. We need to be somewhere that we have the freedom to be transparent. Go hide somewhere in your house where you will not be distracted. If you are out and about, get in your car and park far away from others. If you are self-conscious of what others are thinking, you will never be able to do business with God.2. Get Real.God can handle any feeling you bring to Him. God wants us to be honest when we come to Him. He is not looking for clichés, pretense, or pretty poems when you pray. He wants you to come to Him just as you are. If you are mad, tell Him. If you are sad, tell Him. He already knows.3. Get LoudFrom a practical perspective, praying silently is very challenging. I don’t recommend it. Get Loud. Be somewhere that you have the freedom to pray out loud or write out your prayers, if that fits your style better. Sometimes, we still can get distracted. If that is the case, I recommend keeping a little pad of paper nearby. If a random thought goes floating through your mind, just quickly jot it down so you don’t try to remember it while you are praying.4. Get QuietPrayer is powerful and yet uncomplicated. Prayer is simply talking and listening to God. Don’t miss the listening! If we do pray, we are notorious for coming to God, unloading our needs, and quickly saying “Amen.” Prayer is a two-way relationship, so we must also listen. Get Quiet. Sometimes that seems weird since we don’t hear an audible voice respond. So what does listening to God look like? Listening occurs in our prayer time when we stay in an attitude of prayer and let God bring thoughts and answers to our mind. If you take the thoughts and answers and hold them up against Scripture, you can always know if it was God answering, or our own idea. If it is in alignment with His word, it is likely Him. If it is not, then chunk it!So many times we rush through our prayers and then we wonder why we’re not hearing from God. A relationship will blossom, if you give it some time!