How Do I Talk To God?

This morning started like any other weekday morning.  After fighting with my alarm clock for about twenty minutes, I dragged myself out of bed and went to take a shower.  By the time I finished in the bathroom I was coherent enough to function and somewhat presentable.  I packed Boss-Man’s lunch, saw him out the door with a kiss, made the bed, and headed to the living room with my bowl of cereal (awesome breakfast, I know) to start my quiet time.

First things first.   I pulled out the prayer request book from my Sunday School class at church. (crunch, crunch goes a bite of cereal) God, please bless the couples going on the marriage retreat this weekend. (crunch, crunch)  Please bless this person having surgery next week, protect them and help them to heal quickly. (crunch, crunch, crunch)  About this time my tea kettle went off so I grabbed my cereal bowl and headed back to the kitchen to pour up my requisite cup of tea.  The whole way there, I continued down the list, punctuating each item with the crunch of my cereal.

Standing there at my kitchen counter, working on the last bite of cereal, it struck me that maybe I was going about it the wrong way.  I’m not necessarily saying that it’s wrong to eat while you pray, because we’re supposed to pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:17).  That’s a whole other post.  What I was wrong in was the way I was approaching the throne altogether.  I was allowing distractions to divide my attention.  I was talking to God as though I were calling to place an order for something.

“Yes, I’d like to order blessings for friends, ummm, about five couples.  I’d also like the safe surgery and smooth recovery, I think it’s on page 17 in the catalog…”

That type of prayer is a one-way conversation, which is better than no conversation at all, but still not true conversation.  It’s going down a list, shooting off item after item without waiting for any response.  It’s the difference between calling to place an order and calling your best friend to discuss what’s going on in your life.  You might still use a list, there’s nothing wrong with that!  I have to use lists just to make it through my day without forgetting something catastrophic.  It’s about pausing to let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

When we sit down to do our quiet time, we need to minimize distractions.  For me, that means I need to finish that bowl of cereal and pour my tea BEFORE I sit down with the Word.  We also need to pour out our souls to the Father the same way we do when we sit down with a friend over that same cup of tea (or coffee), with true conversation.  We need to listen as much as we talk.  It also helps to be well rested, so that you’re not dozing off when you’re trying to listen.  If that means moving around and doing a few things before having your quiet time so that you can be fully awake, then that’s what you should do.  Find what works best for you, and make it a habit to sit down with the Father every day.