Like any deep
and lasting friendship, your relationship with Jesus will be strengthened
by frequent honest, open communication. That’s really what prayer is all
about: communicating heart-to-heart with the Lord.
But just how do you communicate with the
Lord? Believe it or not, it’s quite simple.
To get started, try sitting down in a
quiet spot and picture Jesus there next to you. Then talk to Him just like you
would to a good friend. You can talk to Him aloud or in your mind. The exact
words you say aren’t what matter-just tell Him what’s on your heart.
Actually, you can pray anywhere, at
anytime. You don’t have to be either sitting or standing. You don’t have to be
in a church, a religious building, or any special place. Prayer connects your
heart with God’s heart, regardless of your surroundings.
Many people associate prayer with asking
God for things. But that’s only a part of prayer. Of course He wants you to
tell Him your needs, but He also wants you to just spend time with Him telling
Him about how things are going in your life. Tell the Lord how much you love
Him and how thankful you are for all the good things He sends your way. Tell
Him all about your dreams and desires, problems and questions, and He will give
you strength, inspiration, reassurance and answers you need.
Jesus is at your beck and call-just a
prayer away-and He’s always happy to lend an ear and a helping
hand. He’s interested in you and what you’re going through, and
He’s happy to hear and answer your requests.
But there’s more to prayer than that.
Jesus also wants to communicate with you,
to talk to you. He wants to give you personal words of love and encouragement,
and He wants to help you with your problems. He has all the answers, but how can
He give them to you if you don’t listen? You need to learn to recognize His
voice when He speaks to your spirit and puts thoughts in your mind.
Jesus will also speak to you through His
written Word, the Bible, but to get the most out of it you need to pray and
listen to Him as you read. Then He can explain how what you’re reading applies
to you and today’s world. He will fill in gaps and provide added detail to the
often rather general answers in His Word. But again, the key is listening.
Whether it’s your turn to listen or your
turn to talk, you can communicate with the Lord at the speed of thought! It’s
not like communicating by letter, where you write to someone via the postal
system and then have to wait days or weeks to receive their reply.-Or even like
sending e-mail via the Internet, where you can get an answer back from the
other side of the world in minutes. Your prayers actually reach His ear before
they leave your mouth,1 and you can get immediate answers. He may not always be able to
give you a complete answer or bring about the final result
you desire right away, but at the least He will tell you that He’s heard your
prayer and He’s working on it. That assurance alone can give you peace of mind
and help problems that seem like mountains melt away. And as you later bring
the matter again in prayer before Him, He will continue to work on your behalf
and show you what you can do to help work His will in the matter and bring it
to a happy, fruitful conclusion.
© 1999, Aurora Production AG,
Switzerland.
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