Have you ever read books that annoyed you? I, for example, have recently read a story about a married couple where both husband and wife loved each other but didn't know how to talk about it. Because of that, each thought their spouse was tired of them, cheated on them, and wanted to leave them. Only closer to the end of the book, they realized they should do something that I wanted to tell them all this time: talk!
Communication plays a more significant role in our lives than we can imagine. We cannot have any relationship without communication, we cannot reach any corporate goals without communication. Even on the road, we cannot have order if we don't communicate: road signs, turn signals, etc. Can Christianity exist without communication? The answer is obvious - no, it can't.
Talking to God
Christian communication starts with communication with Christ - the basis of our faith. We can easily imagine a talk with a person that we can see and hear, but a talk with God would look a little different. Even though from early years all Sunday school teachers told us that "prayer is talking to God".
We all know that we need to pray but do we actually do it? Bible reminds us that we need to: "pray without ceasing" (Phil. 5:17) which means constantly or regularly. But why do we need to do it?
Why We Need to Pray
Many Bible verses tell us that "whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24). This is why many people see prayer as means of receiving something they need or want. Even though it's not wrong, prayer has more meaning to it.
Prayer is a door into God's presence. If you ever experienced the Holy Spirit, it's very likely that it happened during a prayer. Someone called it a "demo version of heaven", the best feeling on earth! "The Lord is near to all who call on him" (Ps. 145:18)
God's presence, in turn, changes us, fills us with peace and joy, and cultivates the fruit of the Spirit in our hearts, The more time we spend with God, the more we reflect His character.
Prayer helps us know God better - His heart, His thoughts, and His plans. Prophet Jeremiah was talking about it in His book and I also wrote a post about it a while ago - "Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" (Jer. 33:3).
Corporate prayer unites the church. It could be a prayer for a specific need or a time when the whole church joins to seek God together. "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matt. 18:20).
And, finally, prayer is a form of worship. We can worship God with songs or just words but the idea is the same. This is our chance to bring our sacrifice of praise to God because He is worth it. "I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue" (Ps. 66:17).
How to Pray
There is no formula or prayer that would be the only correct one. As any other person that we build intimate relationships with, God expects nothing but honesty from us. Every day I come to my Heavenly Father with real words and thoughts that are in my heart: "Thank you for my wonderful husband!", "Please help me drive carefully", "I have a hard time fighting this temptation, please, strengthen me", "I love you so much!" and so on. I believe that this kind of communication is precious to God.
And for those who are looking for a formula Jesus left "The Lord's prayer" that we all know.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory, forever.
Amen. (Matt 6:9-13)
If you look closely, you could see the following elements:
addressing God;
worshipping God and proclaiming His power;
requests about physical needs;
repentance;
a request of spiritual strength;
worshipping God;
Amen which means "so be it".
God Talking
We all know that communication is a dialog, a two-way street, a two-side interaction. But have you ever experienced the feeling that your prayers are one-sided? Have you ever asked yourself if God is talking to you at all and how you can hear Him?
First of all, I want to say that God does talk to us - He created humans for communication and He desires us to have a relationship with Him. Moreover, He's the one who made the first step toward us! Before we started praying and seeking Him, He already left a letter for us. So if you want to hear God, read the Bible!
In the Bible, God gave us answers to many of our questions, and if you seek His guidance He will use the Bible to speak directly in your life. Not too long ago I already wrote about the purpose of the Scriptures, so you can read more in that post.
But of course, God didn't limit himself to one letter written centuries ago. He is still real, still close, and He still wants to talk to us. This is why He gives us revelations, sometimes just letting us understand the truths that we already heard before. He speaks to us through people, circumstances, our own thoughts, through songs, through the church, and more. One thing I know for sure: your prayer is not a monologue!
This is why if your heart burns with the desire to be a true Christian, if you want to know God (not just know of Him) if you want to reflect His teaching with your life, you need to talk to Him! We are created to have a relationship with the Father, and how amazing it is, that it's so simple!
P.S. Listen to this beautiful song called "Talking to Jesus" - https://youtu.be/OXsxw1fRHMA
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