How to Talk to God (It’s Easier than You Think!)

The other day I had a long talk with my mother. No I wasn’t in trouble…. This time. That’s just what we do. Every now and then, we spend the late hours of the evening, after my brother and dad go to bed, just talking. Catching up on life.

We both work during the day and we both have many evening commitments that take a lot of time.

Between Youth, College & Careers, Bible Study, Ladies Fellowship, Prayer Sister Group, DVBS planning/meetings, song leader practices, and Sunday School meetings our evenings can be very full.

This isn’t even counting the birthday/coffee dates with friends, and impromptu ski/snowboard/hiking/kayaking etc. adventures. Thus our lives can be extremely busy.

So mom and I end up having our quality time late at night. Leaving me very tired yet very rejuvenated.

I go to bed with new perspectives after complaining about the drama at work, the discontentment of being single, and not having the money to do the things I want to do.

These talks leave me with lots to think about on how I could respond better, be a better person, and what could be happening behind the scenes.

This is what prayer is.

Prayer is talking to God.

Like our earthly father (or mother), our Heavenly Father wants us to talk to Him. Even into the wee hours of the night – or morning.

Talking to God doesn’t need to be fancy spiels or long-winded. You don’t need to use extravagant words or proper sentence structure. All you need is a humbled heart.

Do you find yourself talking to…. yourself? I know I do. I also find myself constantly in my thoughts. I have to work really hard to think about what is right in front of me rather than thinking about what I want to be doing in 5 hours or what happened 5 hours ago.

Lately, I’ve been trying to wrangle my random thoughts and self topics so that they are not directed to nobody but rather to God.

Yes that’s right,

I talk to God like I talk to myself.

I found I could change it so that any time I started telling myself a “story,” about anything really, to being a “story” I tell God.

If I was frustrated about a situation that happened at work or at home or at church, instead of grumbling about it to myself, I’d share in detail what happened, to God. That way I would no longer be wasting my breathe, but rather, I would be casting my care upon Him, who cares for me. (1 Peter 5:7)

Now don’t get me wrong, when I talk to God in this way, I don’t drop to my knees and start with my usual, “Dear Heavenly Father…” Instead I just plainly start talking.

I don’t even really consciously think about it, I just direct my rambling to the Lord instead of to nobody.

Talking it over to someone who is always listening helps in so many ways. I no longer feel ridiculous talking to myself (because I’m not), and I get inspiration that I wouldn’t get when closing myself off by conspiring only to myself.

Like when I talk to my mom, talking to God anytime, anywhere, I get new perspectives, and an open mind for how to respond better, how to be a better person, and how to think about the behind the scenes scenarios.

Your Turn

Why don’t you give it a try?

Talk to God. In your head or out loud, at night or during the day. Talk to Him like He’s right beside you. Because He is! Don’t let that frighten you, instead let it comfort you. Allow His peace to wash over you as you have a constant companion for whatever life throws at you.

Now when someone asks you, “Are you talking to yourself?” you can honestly say, “Nope, I’m talking to God.” Don’t ever be ashamed of saying that. People may think you are strange, but you will also be leaving an impact that will go farther that you will ever know.

So why not give it a try? Life can only get better when you involve the good Lord in your every day walk.

Trials will still come, you can count on that. But when you talk to God like you talk to the person you count on the most, your trials will be that much more tolerable, though still not easy.

God will “never leave thee nor forsake thee,” (Hebrews 13:5) so keep Him in the loop. For He created you, He gave you your life, your job, your family, don’t you think He deserves to be apart of it all?