I apologize for being so MIA lately.
But if I’m being honest, I just haven’t had anything to write but at the same
time I’ve had so much to write that it’s overwhelming. God has really been
working in my life lately in so many ways and it has been wonderful getting to
experience His presence in my life. I’ve been trying to soak that up and really
understand what it is He is wanting in my life. I have so many things that I
can share with you but there is one that has been on my heart for a while now.
In fact, I wrote half of a post about it but decided I didn’t like it so I
deleted it. But I’m here to try again because I think it’s important for people
to know.
I grew up going learning about
Jesus and going to church. You hear all the time people say, “I was at church
every time the doors were open.” Well. That was me. Children’s choir, pot luck,
Sunday School, Sunday Service, bake sale. You name it and I was there. Now this
isn’t a bad thing. I think it’s great to be involved in church and really, I
could go on and on about church but that’s for a whole different post. What I
was missing though was the reason I was at church. I was missing the
relationship part of church. The relationship with Jesus that is.
For so long a relationship with
Jesus for me was going to church, reading my bible or devotional before my head
hit the pillow, and saying a prayer before breakfast, lunch, dinner, and
falling asleep. Half of those prayers were the ones you’ve probably said that
go a little like “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food.” It
was a lot of going through the motions, but it was also a lot of distance. For
a long time, I saw God as this figure who had so much power and authority. When
I went to talk to God I felt as if the only appropriate words were the ones of
upmost respect and holiness. Basically, what I like to call “churchy” words. All
of my prayers started with “Dear God” and they didn’t say much other than thank
you for this laundry list of things, please heal these people, and watch over
and protect me. And while that prayer is great and there are many times now
that my prayers are exactly like this, it really wasn’t what my prayers needed
to be.
Fast forward to when I was in high
school and went to a church camp (I know, I know, typical church camp story…
but for real). My youth group was separated into groups and we each had our own
counselor. My counselor sat us all down and said I want to pray for us before
we get started. It got quiet and we all bowed our heads. She began to speak and
the first words our of her mouth were “Hey God”. My eyes shot open and my head
looked up at her and it’s a good thing she had her eyes closed because I gave
her the biggest “Are you crazy?” look you’ve ever seen. I mean HELLOO this is
God you are talking to. Not your best friend. You can’t just say “Hey” to God
like He’s some normal human being. Boy was I wrong.
I thought long and hard about how
my counselor had prayed to God. And then it finally hit me. You CAN talk to God
like He’s your best friend. Because really, that’s part of His relationship
with you. He’s your friend. Don’t get me wrong, I had a relationship with God.
But it was so distant. I wasn’t really allowing God into my life. I wasn’t
letting Him know every part of me. Which is odd to say because He already knows
every part of us (Psalm 139:13). But He wants us to share it with Him.
I began looking at my relationship
with God a lot different. I started every prayer with “Hey God” to remind
myself that God isn’t just some figure that I pray a prayer to and then move on
with my day. He’s real. He’s my friend. And He cares. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17
it says pray continually. When I first read this my thoughts were how in the
world will I ever get anything done if I am always praying. Like that is just
not going to work. But what I really feel God is saying in this verse is to be
in constant conversation and thought with God. Even if it’s just a simple
“thank you God” throughout the day, or a “Hey God can you help me out here”. It
doesn’t have to be some long thought out prayer that you’ve practiced and
memorized. It is just a conversation with a friend who cares and loves you more
than you could ever imagine.
I pray a lot. Especially when I’m
driving down the road. When I would make trips back and forth to school God and
I would have lots of talks. I’m constantly asking Him for wisdom throughout my
days. I tell Him a lot. Whether it’s something good or bad or pointless I let
Him know. I tell Him when there’s something I’m struggling with and I tell Him
when I’m undeserving of His blessings. And sometimes I look up at God and go
“really”? God wants to know it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. He even
wants to know when you’re mad at Him. That’s how we build a relationship with
Him. Think of it as a friend. If you were always formal with a friend and had set
times of the week that you spent an hour together it would probably be pretty
boring, and you wouldn’t know much about each other. When I think of
relationships with my friends, I think of telling them everything. From “Hey
it’s Monday and I’m listening to Christmas music while I work.” to “I’m really
struggling with this relationship in my life and I need your advice.” They hear
it all even when they don’t want to. But that’s the cool thing about God. He
wants to hear it all. He wants you to bring every bit of it to Him.
1 John 5:14 says This is the confidence we
have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, He
hears. My favorite part of this part is where it says, “He Hears.” So many times,
I wonder if God is really listening to me and hearing what I’m saying. But it
says in this verse that if we ask according to His will that He hears. I can
put my confidence in knowing that God is hearing and listening to the words
that I speak to Him and he counts them as important. This doesn’t mean that
everything I ask for in prayer will come to pass because it has to align with
His will, but I can know that the closer I am to God and the better
relationship I have with Him my prayers will start to align with His will. That
relationship starts by talking to Him.
So, if you’re having trouble
building a relationship with God, don’t feel alone because I’ve been there.
There were times when I felt like I was praying to a wall (and sometimes I
still feel that way). I want to encourage you to see God as a friend. Build
that relationship with Him by talking to Him. Start with something easy like
telling Him each day what you had for breakfast. It seems silly but it really
is that easy and I promise you that He cares and wants to know. A relationship
with Jesus is the most important relationship in your life so it’s important to
take the time to build one. Start today. It is so worth your while! I’m praying
that you can build your relationship with Jesus by talking and sharing your
life with Him.
Happy Sunday friends!
Mary Ashton