Can We Talk?

Can we talk?  This may be the most dreaded line that is ever used in relationships of any sort.  Before you even answer, you begin to dream up all sorts of awful what-ifs, about all the terrible reasons that you may need to talk with that other person.  It is not often that we ask, “Can we talk?” for positive reasons.  We are reminded often that our relationships live and die on communication.

This week at church we are going to begin a series on those sacred conversations that we have with God in prayer.  How often do we communicate with God, both in listening or speaking?  Throughout Scripture we are told that prayer is integral to our lives, it is the air that we breathe, and a cornerstone to our relationship with God.

As we reflect on our own prayer lives, when or how do we speak with God?  Like in many relationships I think that we can fall into ruts of doing things the same way.  Are you in rut when you speak with God?  Do you offer the same prayers, in the same way day after day?  Do you listen to God or just talk?  Do you offer prayers of thanksgiving and adoration, or a laundry list of needs and wants?  Do you even speak with God outside of times of crisis?

Throughout the history of the Church thousands of different ways to pray and communicate with God have been used, many of which I learned about for the first time as I attended seminary. Often our picture of prayer is shallow.  We envision closing our eyes, bowing our heads, or praying a memorized prayer like the Lord’s Prayer or the Apostles Creed.  If we believe that prayer is communication with God, then prayer is much broader and deeper than most of the ways that we currently pray.  Prayer can involve listening or being loud, we can pray through music, writing, drawing, and dance.  We can pray with our minds, our hearts, and our bodies.  How we communicate with God can be as unique as each of us.

I encourage you to think about how you communicate with God.  For some, prayer involves meditating on scripture to hear his leading, playing a musical instrument, writing out prayers in a journal, praying out loud, and more.  Take time this week to think a bit about your prayer life, and perhaps how you can improve how and when you talk with God.

“Sacred Conversations” Series

July 25th Psalm 121 – “Trust”

August 1st 2 Chronicles 7:11-18 – “At the Core of it”

August 8th Matthew 6:1-14 – “More than Me”