“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

James 5:16

Like any healthy relationship, communication is essential. Being able to speak freely whether it’d be good or bad is a crucial aspect of communication. The same goes for our relationship with God. It can get overwhelming to think of an omnipresent being watching everything you go through in this life. Luckily that doesn’t have to be the case. God, though in fact is an omnipresent being, is also a father, is also a bridegroom, and is also a confidant. And here’s the kicker, He wants a relationship with YOU. Yes, you. The screw up, the sinner, and the middle child no one seems to pay attention to. The creator of the universe, the one who put every star in the sky, decided the world needs one of you too. Think about that for a second… it’s amazing, right?

Knowing that, it’d be silly to pass up a relationship like this one. A relationship with God is definitely not easy. You will be challenged. You will feel discouraged at some points. However, you will be changed, you will be a light to those around you, and ultimately you’ll want to speak the truths you’ve been revealed to family, friends, and even strangers. The only thing God wants in exchange is this… you. He wants your passions, desires, mountains, valleys, hopes, and wildest dreams. This, especially for me, has been the most difficult. I am a very stubborn person. And I like to feel independent. Though, God has been showing me that I am not always right, not even some of the time. And these “scoldings” if you will, are reminders of who really is in control.

With this in mind, you’re most likely wondering how to have a relationship with God. And there are many aspects of this special relationship. However, if the title has given you any clue, we’re going to discuss prayer.

Priscilla Shirer spoke at a conference I once attended. And one of the major focal points was about prayer. She taught us “how to pray” essentially and also how to dive into God’s word without biting off more than we could chew.

Prayer is essential in a relationship with the Lord. Just like communication is crucial in a relationship with a spouse or close friend. God wants to talk to you, he wants to listen, and ultimately he wants you to talk to him. There are a multitude of ways to pray. And this isn’t by any means a strict law. What I like to do is start off by just talking about what’s on my mind - clearing my head with the day’s activities, struggles, and whatnot. After everything has been off my chest, I like to take those things and specify more. For example, if you’re going to apply for a job and that’s been burdening your heart, specify. Ask God to give you strength, confidence, the words to say, etc.

Usually after that, I thank God. For everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Something I’ve been learning is to thank God for the bad stuff just as much as the good stuff. Thank Him for the job you lost, because, you know what? This isn’t the end. There’s something better for you. And you know what this trusting is called? Faith.

Lastly, something else I’ve been learning is to listen. Nobody likes a one-sided relationship, or being talked at. Neither does God. So once you’ve said what you needed to say, complained about that coworker that never does their job, and asked for all the things you needed to ask for, the least you can do is listen to see what you can do about it. Now, listening to God isn’t easy. It’s quiet, but prevalent. It agrees with scripture, and is usually repeated or can’t easily be forgotten. Also, 99% of the time, it’s not what you think it will be. What I mean is, God’s solution is most likely not what your solution is. It may take you by surprise, but trust me when I tell you this, He knows better than you do. Though God listens and hears your every word and prayer, He isn’t always instantaneous. Some prayers may take weeks, months, even years to be answered. So don’t lose hope.

Back to that conference I mentioned earlier, it was a weekend of my life that hopefully I’ll never forget. During this time, Priscilla mentioned five ways to dive deeper in your faith. She discussed in depth of how to pray and really listen to God’s voice. Surely I believe these tips can help you as much as they’ve helped me.

The first one is this, to position yourself to hear from God. What this means is to be in a quiet place physically and mentally. John 10:27 says, “For my sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.” We are a flock and God is our shepherd, we recognize his voice. It’s like an innate sense of knowing that we have. Some call it their conscience, it’s the voice in your head that tells you if you should or shouldn’t pursue something. When you accept Jesus to be your Savior, you automatically receive His spirit, the Holy Spirit. Once you have this, you’ll be able to hear more in your spirit than just physically through ears. Think of it as a superpower.

The second part is to pore over the passage. An important involvement of this is to not go over your head. Priscilla said just five verses was more than enough. She’d say to study the same five for a week, or two, or however long until it really clicks in your brain. According to Merriam-Webster, to pore means to gaze intently; to read or study attentively; as well as, to reflect or meditate steadily. Needless to say, it does not mean to scan quickly. In addition to this, she tells us to take each verse and paraphrase it into our own words. By doing that, we can relate more to the passage and therefore get more of a feel for what it really is saying; what it is speaking to our hearts.

Next is, to pull out the spiritual principal(s). To me, this is most important. After reading your verses intently, it’s important to personalize them to your life. For example, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 states, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” To me, the spiritual principals here are God is merciful. He knows our weaknesses but regardless of them he loves us mightily. And He is powerful. Can you name any other being that gets perfect, sufficient, grace-filled power from a mortal-human’s weakness? I can’t.

This verse is particularly encouraging to me when life gets too heavy to bear and I feel like I can’t go on any longer. I remember that He is sufficient for me and my burdens. And then things don’t feel as hard. God knows our limits. He is well aware of the things we can and cannot handle. However, I believe there are seasons of our lives where He puts us to the test, He takes us out of our comfort zones to see how much we really trust him. It’s when the leaps of faith come into play and we either walk on water or sink. Trust exercises, if you will.

After pulling out the spiritual principals, we pose the question. For me, my question(s) could be, am I genuinely trusting God with my life? Am I taking full advantage of His grace and merciful love? Or, Am I giving my weaknesses to God?

Lastly, we plan a date. Usually this means to set a specific date in your calendar to answer one or all of your questions. This could include fasting, praying, or just simply reading verses in the bible that relate to your questions. This way, it seems like something to get done rather than something that you’ll get to after you’re done with a, b, and c (if you hadn’t forgotten already). With all of this in mind, I'm sure you may need to take awhile to pause reflect. Know that this IS a lot to take in. Prayer is a lifeline in your walk with Jesus. It's a two way street. So next time you go to pray, remember that just as much as He wants to hear about your day, He is just as excited to tell you about all of His plans he has in store for you. All you have to do is just listen.