Day 19: God is in the Conversation

Last entry to catch up!

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"More important than the way you talk to someone is the way you talk to God about them." I had never thought about that before. God is the ultimate authority on relationships; that is the reason why we exist! Prayer seems to be the ultimate cure when you find yourself being selfish in a relationship, because you are likely to ask how you can serve the other person, rather than try and find ways to convince God of how to use that person in your life. It also keeps us aware of how much God does for us on a daily basis, even when things seem to be rough.

Jesus was always getting away from the crowds after a long day and spending time praying, which is an interesting thing to think about, since He is part of God. He was in constant conversation with the Father, and that's really what prayer is all about. There are three ways we are supposed to approach God in our prayer/conversations. First, we must have persistence. The parables about the judge who won't listen to the widow or the friend who needs to loan food challenge us to realize "if these unwilling people were persuaded by someone's persistence, how much more can you count on a loving and willing God to answer your requests when you persist in prayer"! It is through persistence that we show our reliance on Him for everything. We ought to pray until the circumstances finally change, or we change our perspective, or both! Recently (which is awkward, because the entry about this is in-between Day 24 and 25) I have gotten some answers to prayers that I've been struggling with for a while now, and though the answers weren't necessarily what I expected, I believe it was only through constantly asking for help and for clarification that this finally happened. Second, we should approach Him with confidence. The truth of the matter is that all of our prayers are answered, but they are not always answered in the way we think they should be. Either that makes us bitter towards God or makes us think that He can't or won't do what we want. Take a step back for a second. HE won't do what WE want? As I read in My Utmost for His Highest a few months back, God is NOT our magician. We need to come to Him in full confidence that He knows what is best, and through consistent prayer we begin to bend our will to His and find that His way is truly best, even when we can't see it. The third characteristic is reverence. Again, it's about a relationship with God, and while we ought to be awed by His power, we also should feel respectful and loved as He is our Father. The opening line to the Lord's prayer (Our Father, who art in Heaven) gives us three questions: How small (our), how close (Father), and how big (in Heaven) is our God? I think I may have said this before, but here it is again. So often we make God out to be too big to care about us individually and too small to piece together all the aspects of our lives to work together for good , when in truth He is the exact opposite: He is personal AND all-powerful. Hard to comprehend, but so amazing to be able to rest on when life gets crazy. We know that God watches over us and plans things out even before we even imagine what is going to happen.

Point to Ponder: For Jesus, prayer was simply a conversation with his Father in heaven.
My perspective on life completely changed when I started to realize this truth and be open to the idea not of leaning back on God when things were crazy, or just praising Him when things are going really well, but to just focus and talk with Him whenever my mind isn't engaged in something else, and sometimes even when I am busy doing something. It has allowed me to fight against insomnia and other sleep related problems (like sleeping in a strange place- I always have a hard time falling asleep), and I no longer HAVE to go sleep with my radio on. In fact, now I don't even bother doing it, because it distracts me from talking with God. I think if there's any one simple thing that has really changed my life in the past year, it's opening up my life to constant conversation with God.

Verse to Remember: Matthew 6:9-13- "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"
We say this prayer by rote, but think about how many great things are in there. The opening line is discussed above. Next we see admission of His holiness and His rule over the world, and looking forward to the new Heaven and Earth. We ask for our immediate need, and nothing else. We seek forgiveness pending our forgiving attitude towards others. We ask for protection from Satan. And this is how we are always supposed to be talking to God. Definitely some practical applications there.

Question to Consider: How could patience, confidence, and reverence become a greater part of my conversation with God this week?
I think just trying to realize how perfect His plans always are and resting in the idea that He has my best interest in mind will help me to focus my prayer life to be more patient and confident (and reverent really; who else can coordinate the world? And that He's doing that for each of us. . . . pretty awesome).