Conversations Starters: Taking your talks with God to a new level

by Julie Tilman for ec magazine

Conversations. Some are awkward, others strained, a few even painful. So what does conversation have to do with prayer? Well, when you get right down to it, prayer is really just talking to God. It’s a conversation, a give-and-take. Which of the following best describes your conversations with God?

The Person You Just Met
You’ve just met the guy who sits behind you in English. He’s nice to you, and you’re nice to him. You may talk to him about the English class and things that are happening at school but nothing too personal. If your relationship with God is like that, you might pray before meals, a test, and a few other times during the month. You talk to God, but you don’t get too personal with Him. If you want something more from your prayer life, keep reading.

The Friend
You probably have several people in your life that you would consider friends. They are the people you hang out with on the weekend. You go to the movies with them, spend time with them, and share your life with them. If you relate to God the same way you relate to your friends, you probably talk to Him about most of the things going on in your life. Sure, you pray before meals and tests, but you also pray at other times during the week. You do look for His opinion on your life by reading His Word and talking with other mature believers. You consider Him someone you talk to at least several times a week. If you want something more from your prayer life, keep reading.

The Best Friend
You don’t even have to think about who this is. You saw that person’s face the minute you read the words best friend. Your best friend is the person you talk with just about every day. If you miss a day, you wonder if you’ll ever find enough time to catch up. You tell them what’s going on in your classes, your family, and if you have one, your love life. Your best friend is someone you can be yourself with. You don’t need to pretend you have your stuff together if you don’t.
When your relationship with God is like the one you have with your best friend, you talk to Him every day. In fact, you probably talk to Him at the beginning of every day before you talk to anyone else. You read His Word to see what He wants from you and your life. You trust Him even when He asks you to do something difficult, like go on a short-term mission trip or tell your friends about Jesus’ love for them. You talk to Him about your struggles and really attempt to live life His way. But if you want even more from your prayer life, keep reading.

The Person You Can’t Live Without
When you have a friend you can’t live without, life gets more risky. You could live without that person in your life, but you just can’t imagine it. You don’t even want to think about it. That person is someone who knows all your secrets . . . every single one of them. You talk to that person about absolutely everything going on in your world. He or she knows about your pimple and that you overheard your parents talking about divorce. He or she knows what matters to you, and it’s important to him or her. When your world is crashing down, just knowing this person is there helps.

The relationship God wants with you is one that is so deep and important to your everyday life that you can’t even imagine life without Him. You pray every single day. You talk to Him while you’re getting ready in the morning, when you have a few minutes, when you just need to know Someone’s there and listening to you. You seek His Word in every need and decision you have. You long to spend as much time as you possibly can getting to know Him better. God is not a part of your life, He IS your life. If you want something more from prayer, keep praying. You’re on the right track! You don’t just want to know about God; you want to know Him.

© 2008 LifeWay Christian Resources
"Conversation Starters: Levels of conversation with God," ec magazine, February 2009, LifeWay Christian Resources: Nashville, 2008, p. 46-47.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to ec magazine, the magazine for you. We offer relevant stories, info you need, daily devotions, and honestly want to guide you to a deeper relationship with Christ. For more info on subscribing, go here.