I am learning that nothing is too small to talk to God about. If I ever have the conscious thought that, “Oh, that’s not that big of a deal – I don’t have to ask Him about that,” then I must ask myself whose voice I’m actually listening to; that of the enemy or the Lord.
That may seem really intense, but I believe that God has shown me a few times recently I could have easily moved forward with things that were not His will for me…if I hadn’t asked Him about it in advance! You see, God desires us to know His will, but we have to ask to know it. He won’t force us to make the best decisions as much as He knows they are best for us, but He also won’t hide them from us if we ask. He wants us to seek Him first and listen to His voice so much so that we are able to discern and choose the best out of obedience and love for Him, even if we don’t see the full picture yet. This is why it is so important to open ourselves up to constant dialogue and communion with Him so that we don’t convince ourselves of things without consulting with Him and through His Word first.
This has really been on my mind recently because just a few weeks ago, my best friend of ten years and I had a beautiful sit down chat in which we discovered something absolutely hilarious about our friendship. Like I said, we’ve been friends for ten years, but it was only a few weeks ago that we both finally realized that when it comes to our friendship, she has always been the one to call me, and I have always been the one to text her! It’s not actually that I don’t like talking on the phone – I absolutely love it, but if I’m really busy throughout my day, it helps me to stop and quietly think through things I want to say through a text instead of a phone call (internally processing instead of externally processing). She however, feels it is way easier to talk on the phone instead of having to stop and type everything out as she goes about her day (externally processing instead of internally processing). What is so funny about this is, I always thought she was more in favor of texting like me, and she always thought I was more in favor of calling like her! That is why, in the last few weeks since we discovered this, we have both made a point to text AND talk on the phone – communicating her way and mine! Both are continual; it’s just a different method of communication. 🙂
Why do I share this?
I feel that God has been showing me through this that many people, whether it’s through comparing themselves to others’ way of communicating with God, or simply not having enough time in their day to stop for as long as they want to, they have neglected talking to Him altogether. You see, whether you need to talk out loud with God, or whether you feel you need to stop and process things in a quiet place with Him – both are valid. God birthed you with the personality you have for a reason. You do not have to feel that you are less of a Christian for not following someone else’s method of spending time with God each day. If you want to talk to God, just talk. Don’t be concerned with what others are doing or how they are doing it – how long they get in the Word, or how long they pray; begin to grow in those ways yourself and believe that truly as much as you want from the Lord is available to you. God is concerned with His relationship with YOU, so you can likewise be concerned about your relationship with Him – not someone else’s.
Confession: God did not make me to necessarily enjoy lists, but I used to feel that I needed to be more organized and list-oriented in order to pray over something fully. If you are a list person and that is how you enjoy keeping track of your prayers with the Lord, be free and make those lists! Enjoy fully the way that God has made your personality to communicate with Him. If not however, do not feel condemnation that you are not as spiritual because you do not follow a certain method that may come easily to others. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and as Christians we do not live under religion, but in relationship with Him! Grow in your relationship with God the way that you would with a friend. If you feel led to write your prayers down, write them down. If you are a “phone” person who needs to externally process with God, do that. And if you are a “text” person, who needs to internally pray in the quiet, do that.
The way you communicate and process things is a part of how God made you. That being said, we ALWAYS have room to grow in our communication (hence, my story with my best friend and I), but the Lord accepts you the way you are, and wants to hear your voice no matter the method. Don’t hold back from talking to God or from a deeper relationship with Him because you are thinking that you need to somehow grow some sort of “spiritual personality” or way of praying or reading the Word that is like someone else’s or somehow more powerful. The power of your time with God comes from you simply believing that it is worth it, and from His Spirit guiding and teaching you. 🙂 So, let Him increase your faith to constantly communicate with Him in the way you were born to. Your seasons and methods may change, but the Lord stays the same.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Amanda Rassamni 
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