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.
My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas. I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block. While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot.../dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3... The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP). At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects! Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God” View more posts
