Finding Freedom in Talking to God

Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything. 

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. I Peter 5:7 (NLT)

It was one of those no good, really bad, rotten days. I had had words with my husband. I had a headache. People all around me were being stupid. I needed to let my friends in on the obnoxious day I was having. They needed to know of the injustices and ignorance I was having to deal with. First, I called Ginny. No answer. Then I called Marguerite. No answer. Then I called Marie. No answer. Then, I called my sister. She would totally get my lament. 

She did not answer her phone either. OOOH! What was I going to do? I needed to blow off some steam and fast, before I overheated and exploded. “Hello” came the still small voice. “I am here.” I did not hear it audibly, but my spirit heard God’s voice as clear as Samuel heard it in the temple. 

“You can talk to me; remember I promised to never leave you or forsake you. I want you to tell me all about what is troubling you. I know your heart better than you know it yourself. Give it to me. Let me have it all. And then be still.”

In that moment, I began to pour my heart out to God. I told Him why I was upset, what I thought He should do about it and why. And with each word, little by little, I began to be freed from the imprisonment of the angst I was feeling. In short order, my attitude began to change, and my heart was at rest. 

God knew I wanted to blather to a friend. But in his infinite wisdom, He did not allow me to infect anyone else with my stinky attitude. He did not allow me the pleasure of drawing anyone else into my grumbling spirit. He reminded me that His phone line is always open. He is always willing to talk to me. He knows my mind and heart, so I don’t need to hide what is really going on down there. And you know what? He loves me anyway.

Whether it is a prayer of praise, an attitude change, a deep heart healing, an intercession for a loved one, God hears us. The creator of the universe desires to have a conversation with us. Not just once in a while, but all the time. He wants us to have the freedom to come to Him and call out to Him so that He can show us great and mighty things. 

It doesn’t matter if you are mad at God. He wants you to tell Him about it. It doesn’t matter if you are disappointed with life. God wants you to talk to him about it. But He doesn’t want us to only come to Him when we are sad, mad, or in need. He wants to celebrate with us. He wants us to enjoy His creation and tell Him how much we love Him for giving it to us. He wants us to rest in the promise that we can be free from worry because we can take our cares to Him because He cares for us. (I Peter 5:7)

How do you view prayer? We can tend to think of it as a grocery list we take to the store once a week. In reality, it should be an ongoing conversation with God. The idea of “pray without ceasing” means it is not a daily or weekly chore but an opportunity to open our hearts to the power of God forever all the time. 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Heavenly Father, Please help me remember to come to you first. Help me to make my request known to you, the one who hears me all the time and has the power to heal, to forgive, to make right, and to sooth my soul. Thank you for seeing down deep inside me and loving me enough to cover over the yuck with your grace. Amen.

If you were blessed by this or would like to build your prayer life, I encourage you to read, Restore Your Soul with Seven Days of Prayer, Reflections on Prayer & Days of the Week Prayer Journal.