If you have chosen to accept Jesus as your Savior, you’ve become part of God’s family. How do you grow this relationship with your Father God? How do you keep in touch with Him?
There
is a wonderful mechanism that God Himself instituted and Jesus practiced
regularly when He was living on earth. It is called PRAYER. It is simply having
a conversation with God. Just like you’d talk to anyone you know or those
around you—just verbalize your thoughts, wishes, dreams, ideas, and consider
how you can praise, glorify, and honor God through communicating with Him. You
don’t need a phone, computer, or iPad to keep in touch with our Creator and
Heavenly Father. You can pray to any part of the Trinity: to God the Father; to
Jesus, the Son, our Lord and Savior; and to the Holy Spirit. Prayers are heard
by them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. God doesn’t sleep. Read
about that in Psalm 121.
If
you don’t want to pray out loud or even just quietly talking to God in your
thoughts—He will hear you—you can always write in a journal notebook or yes,
even typing a note daily to Him on your computer will work, too. You can sing
prayers to Him. He loves music.
Most
conversations are two-way. So, you must give God a chance to speak to you, too.
He does that through His written word, the Bible. Any translation that is easy
for you to understand is the best one for you to use. Several of my friends are
using the English Standard Version (ESV), the New Living Translation (NLT), and
my favorite, the New American Standard Bible (NASB). There are some people who
still hold onto the King James Version. Other popular translations are the New
King James Version (NKJV) and the New International Version (NIV). Most of
these are also available on-line on Bible Apps directly associated with the particular
translation or on Apps like the Blue Letter Bible or Bible Gateway.
Statue of St. Francis of Assisi
Capernaum, Israel
Lift up your hands in prayer.
One
of the best ways to communicate with God is praying scripture to Him. Initially,
you may want to follow a pattern like the Lord’s prayer that Jesus explained to
His followers in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13). The ACTS acronym uses
the same idea. Adoration. Confession. Thanksgiving. Supplications. No matter
how you pray…or even where you pray, God is honored by your attention and
devotion. Give Him time every day. We are admonished in the Old and New
Testaments to pray continually.
O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen
on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you
who pray to the LORD. Isaiah
62:6
Always be joyful. Never stop
praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who
belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Enjoy
your prayer time throughout your day with the Lord. He is always with us since
He has promised to never leave us or forsake us! The choice of praying—being committed to keeping in
touch with God—is yours.
Then
if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek
my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will
forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Prayer
– Lord God, it is an awesome privilege to come before You in prayer. I deeply
adore and respect You—for You are the loving Father, King of kings and Lord of
lord, creator, sustainer, judge, eternal ruler, comforter, and friend. Please
forgive me for the trivial things that I focus on in my life and my selfish
attitude that draws me away from, not closer to You. I am eternally grateful
for all that You have done for me, Jesus. I am unworthy of Your sacrifice—but You
did it anyway. Thank you. Just as You taught Your disciples…give me this day my
daily bread, both physically and spiritually. I long to spend time discovering
more truths about You in Your word. I praise and adore You continually
throughout my day. Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Meditate.
Consider how prayer connects you to God.
Verse
of Salvation ~ But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness
in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, "The LORD is
great!" Psalm
40:16
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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