Communication: More important than you think

Your devotion today is about priorities—and one of Jesus’ priorities was prayer. Prayer is a form of communication that should be the foundation of your relationship with God. Actually, good communication is the foundation of any healthy relationship. So we want to know:



Communication is vital to our friendships and relationships. When was the last time you got in trouble with your parents for saying the wrong thing or speaking before thinking? What about your boyfriend or girlfriend? Ever been in a relationship where there wasn’t a lot of talking going on? How did you feel? Bored? Unsure of where things stood between you two? Or did you feel understood and in sync because you two talked about what was going on in your heads? Think of a person in your life (teacher, parent, coach, friend, etc.) where communication helped or hindered your relationship. Now, think about how you communicate with God.

Have you ever given much thought to your communication with God before? How frequent is it? What do you talk to Him about? If communication is the key to good relationships and your most important relationship is with God, then what are you doing to communicate well with Him? With whom do you currently spend most of your time communicating? Do you spend more time texting your friends than you do praying? Do you see the problem with that? (And please know that my prayer life isn’t perfect and my toes are feeling a little stepped on, too.)

Part of communicating is understanding what the other person is saying. Are you taking time to listen to God, or are your prayer times all about you and your requests? We’ll admit, it’s not easy to sit still, calm your mind, and wait for the Lord to speak. And sometimes He doesn’t speak to us when we’d like Him to. But know that the more time you spend listening, the more able you’ll be to recognize His voice and grow closer to Him.

If your prayer life could use an overhaul, try out these simple steps:

• Try to pray in the same place and the same time every day.
• Start by breathing deeply and trying to clear your mind of all the thoughts and distractions swimming around in your head.
• Read the Bible. (We recommend the Scripture passage you studied for your devotion in ec this morning.)
• Just talk. Present requests to God, pray for others, tell Him what’s going on . . . the sky’s the limit. If it involves you, He’s interested. You can do this silently, out loud, or by writing in a prayer journal.
• Consider alternate positions as you pray: kneeling, lying face down on the floor, hands folded, etc.
• Be still. Wait for Him to speak. If you can’t keep your mind focused, then move on to reading Scripture, writing to/about Him, singing to God, or drawing a picture of how you feel about Him.
• Don’t fret if you just can’t seem to carve out large chunks of time to spend in prayer. Short prayers (like “Be near to me, Jesus,” “Help me control my words,” or “Please heal my grandmother’s cancer”) are perfectly acceptable, especially when you’re taking time out of your day to stop and focus on the One who holds it all in His hands.
• Pray with others (one at a time or all together). It’s always interesting to hear how others talk to God.

We hope that you make some time today to talk to God. He’s always listening.

Prayer: It's just a conversation

So, by now, you've probably read Chansin Bird's article "Prayer Exposé" on page 26 of the May issue of ec. Maybe that article left you wanting to go deeper in your prayer life but you just don't know how to get started. Well, here are a few ideas a good friend of ec, Pam Gibbs, shared with us awhile back.

Drawing God and Me
Before you accuse us of treating you like children, try this idea. You might be surprised! Grab some paper and colored pencils, markers, or crayons. Then find a quiet place to sit. First, spend a few moments in quiet. Take a few deep breaths. Then, pick up a pencil and write at the top of the page, God and me. Remaining quiet and relaxed, draw a picture of the two of you. Choose images, people, animals or objects to represent God and you. You can use any sizes, shapes, or colors you want. Do not stop to think about how you should portray God or how you want to appear. Don’t worry about being a Picasso. Just draw.
After a few minutes, talk to God about what you’ve drawn. Why did you choose that particular color for God? For example, you might have chosen red because you thought He was angry or blue because He felt as far away as the sky. What image did you choose for God and why? Where are you in the picture in relation to God? Close or far away? Picture yourself like a small child who is describing a picture to her parent. After describing it to God, sit and be quiet in the stillness. After a few minutes of quiet, ask yourself: How would God draw me and Him together?

Journaling with a Twist
You might already use a journal to write out your prayers. Even if you do, keep reading for a twist at the end! In connecting with God through journaling, you write out a conversation with God. To begin, write “Dear God,” or another favorite term you’ve adopted for God (Abba, Lord, Father). Then, write down what you are feeling in your heart or what’s on your mind. You can write about the ordinary things of your day. God loves to hear about those things. Maybe you need to write about something that’s troubling you; God wants to hear about those things, too. If you’re just in the mood to write, pick a topic: your deepest desire; your greatest fear; the you that nobody knows about; your big-gest confusion. Don’t censor or edit anything you write. Just let the words flow.

Once you’ve written down everything on your mind and heart, go to the next page in your jour-nal. At the top of the page, write “Dear (Your Name).” Then, write a reply as if God were writing to you about what you’ve written to Him. Again, don’t censor yourself or edit what you’re writing. Al-low God to speak. You’ll be amazed at what happens!

Breath Prayer
Ever feel overwhelmed? Ever feel too stressed to stop and pray for a long time? Ever crave a really simple prayer that expresses what you’re feeling? Then try this activity.

First, find a place to be quiet and alone for a few -minutes. Picture Jesus standing before you, asking what you want Him to do for you. Maybe He’s simply asking, what is the cry of your heart? Wait and listen. The cry of your heart will emerge. In all probability, though, you will hear a lot of noise in your head, and it will be difficult to listen to your heart. If more than one thing surfaces, look for the root problem. For example, if you want to get along with your friends and your family better, your deeper need is love for others. Finding the cry of your heart is a lot like finding that special spot on your back that itches and needs to be scratched. You can scratch around it and close to it, but you know immediately when you’ve hit the spot!

Once you’ve found that heart cry, identify how you -address God in your prayer, such as Abba, Father, or God. Or identify a name of God that coincides with the need of your heart. Some common breath prayers are:
• Give me strength, O Christ (for when you’re tired)
• Father, show me your love (for when you feel unappreciated)
• Gentle Shepherd, carry me (for when you feel overwhelmed)

Take some time to sit quietly and repeat the phrase gently in your mind. As you inhale, voice the name of God (O Christ). As you exhale, voice the prayer (Give me strength). You can use breath prayer in lots of places, such as when you’re walking to your next class, driving in the car, or taking a shower. This prayer is helpful when your emotions are so stirred that you don’t know what or how to pray. Over time, the repetition of this prayer -creates a time and space in which you become more aware of God, who hears your cry.

What it means to you:
The point of all this is simple: God wants to spend time with you.

He wants to know about the things that worry you and hear about the things that frighten you. God wants to know you and spend time with you, and one of the ways He’s made that kind of relationship possible is through prayer. So don’t just recite the same tired prayer you’ve been praying day after day, year after year. Get to know God, be honest with Him, and live in daily relationship with Him. You won’t be sorry!

Intentionality

My life feels out of control. How ‘bout yours? In between cross-country trips, a funeral, crazy-busyness at work, and training for a half-marathon, I learned a few days ago that a friend of mine has cancer. She’s 15. 15! When I was 15, I was worried about how my hair looked, the current pimple on my face, and if any guys liked me. I did not have to suddenly think about chemo treatments and surgery and how my parents were going to explain my diagnosis to my little sisters. But my sweet little friend is having to face all of this.

So while all that’s on my mind, I’ve found it very easy to spend more time in prayer. I’m constantly going to God because I’m worried about my friend. I’ve got something very real, very current in my life to pray about, so it’s easy to be intentional about talking to Him.

But it’s not always like that. I can remember being frustrated with myself recently because I didn’t feel like I’d thought about God all day, except for during my short quiet time that morning. Hopefully you read last week’s devotions in ec and want to be intentional in your prayer life but don’t know what to say. We know you’re busy, and we hope you don’t have any terrible situations in your life that are driving you into God’s presence through prayer every chance you get. But if you are looking for some ways to put some effort into your most important relationship, here are some things God would love to talk about with you (the list is endless, but these are just some that you may not have thought of):

• If you ever feel lonely and why
• Why you’re thankful for your best friend
• What plans you should make for the weekend
• How happy you are to have done so well on that test or quiz
• Your crush/significant other
• What scares you
• That teacher or coach you can’t stand
• The concept you just don’t get in class

Can’t think of a time to talk to God because your planner is packed? Try turning some of these situations into quick prayer times:
• While you’re changing classes
• Riding or driving to school
• Waiting in line in the cafeteria
• In the shower
• While you’re heating up something in the microwave
• Waiting for a page/video/picture to load on the Internet

Feel free to leave us a comment about some new topics and random places/times you've found to pray. Other readers will appreciate the help!

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.

Speaking His Peace

When you open up the February 2009 issue of ec, you'll see that it has a lot to do with relationships. Relationships with others, your relationship with God, your relationship with your parents. There are articles on developing godly relationships and learning to talk to God on a deeper level, to converse, to listen, to seek Him in an everyday, living, breathing relationship.

God and I have been having a lot of conversations this past week. My family and hometown was hard hit by the ice storm that blasted in to Arkansas, southeast Missouri, and western Kentucky last week. My family members lost power last Tuesday (and water for a short period of time). Power was restored to my brother's house last night during the halftime show of the Super Bowl, but my parents, who live outside the city limits, are still waiting. And may be waiting for awhile yet as crews struggle to put up new poles and restore broken power lines.

It's hard to be almost 300 miles away from your family and know that they are suffering. It's hard to sit still and enjoy your comfortably warm living room when your parents are at home cooking their food on a barbecue grill and sitting around a gas fireplace. It's hard not to worry when your nephew (who turns 3 months old this week) doesn't have power at his house. Or when your grandmother's nursing home has a generator, but not enough diesel to run it.

So God and I had some honest talks in which I implored Him to take care of my family. To keep them safe on icy roads. To give them patience with one another in the middle f a stressful situation. To know how I could help, what I could do. I didn't pray that they get the power restored, that the work crews would put my family first on the list, or anything like that. I just prayed for God's hand and continued presence to be with my family. I prayed that He would take care of them, knowing He already was. I sat in silence and listened, desperately seeking God when I couldn't even form the words.

And God's peace flowed over me. I knew He had this under control, and for one of the first times in my life, the worrier in me wasn't worried. Whatever happened, God had it covered. I was reminded once again that God is a God who knows, who hears, who acts.

That's the power of prayer in action.