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Talk To God

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Devotional: Many Are His Thoughts Toward Us

Devotional: Many Are His Thoughts Toward Us

Devotional: Many Are His Thoughts Toward Us

Growing up, my dad was a police officer.

Maybe that’s the reason I’ve always wanted to stick to the rules. I’m a people-pleaser through and through. I love it when I get kudos for a job well done. I hate it when I feel I’ve disappointed someone.

Too often I find myself treating God as if He too were a police officer–hanging around, waiting to catch me crossing the line. Every morning, as I journal my prayers, I write out my confessions. Then I end with prayers seeking God’s strength to help me be good.

Psalms 40:5

This morning, as I read my Bible, I came across Psalm 40:5:

“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.”

The part that stopped me in my tracks was “Many . . . are Your thoughts toward us.” So I paused, and pondered this for a while. I pictured God thinking about us a lot. God thinking about me. Loving me. Caring for me. It brought tears to my eyes.

All around us we have people telling us we need to be good, to do the right thing, to follow the right path, to care for others more than ourselves.

That is all fine and good, but sometimes we need to just be okay with the fact that God loves us–at this moment, how we are. He is thinking about me TONS. He is thinking about you.

And instead of the police uniform that causes us to keep our distance…

We need to think of the Daddy who welcomes us with open arms.

Sometimes we need to just be okay with the fact that God loves us–at this moment, how we are. @TriciaGoyer

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Prayer

God, grant me the patience toward myself to simply know that You love me, at this moment, just how I am. Let your goodness and your attention toward me sink into the depths of my being. You are not a police officer keeping distance, You are my Father welcoming me with open arms.

Other Resources

 

Generation NeXt Marriage by Tricia GoyerI have a few books on sale right now! Generation NeXt Marriage is $2.99. You can also get my four World War II novels in the Liberators Series for $13.99.

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How to Talk to God

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Do you wonder if God is out there listening? Do you question if He cares? Many of us want to talk to God—to pray—but we don’t know how to start.

Here are some things that might help: <click to tweet>

  1. You don’t need a specific place to pray . . . but finding “a prayer place” might help. I pray before I climb out of bed, snuggled under the blanket. I pray in the mornings, sitting on the couch. I pray in the afternoons as I’m folding laundry. Praying in those places becomes a habit, and being there “triggers” me to turn my heart to God.
  2. You can pray any time . . . but creating daily appointments can go a long way. During my “couch” prayer time I make a cup of coffee or tea. I grab a journal and pen. I open my Bible. This ritual helps me to focus. It prepares my heart.
  3. You don’t need a list of requests . . . but keeping a list can grow your faith. I keep a prayer journal. It’s built my faith to go back and see how God has answered my prayers. I’ve prayed for book deadlines and kid issues, and years later I can see that, with God’s help, the work got done and the kids turned around. It encourages me to continue asking and continue drawing near.
  4. You don’t need to pray a specific set of words . . . but looking to the Lord’s Prayer can be a good guide. From Matthew 6:9-13:

    “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

    Jesus’ prayer guides us to *pray for God’s will. It reminds us to *pray for His kingdom on earth. It shows us that *God is our provider. It reminds us to *ask for forgiveness . . . and to *offer forgiveness. And it encourages us to *seek protection from evil. What a great list to pray through!

Five More Tips on Talking to God

  1. Nix the holy slang. God understands “whasup God” just as well as He does “Thou holy Father.”
  2. Spit it out. I’m able to keep my train of thought better when I’m talking.
  3. Find a prayer buddy or prayer buddies. It brings hope to my heart when I know others are praying for me and when I’m praying for others.
  4. Don’t think of talking to God as seeking to “get your prayers answered.” Instead, think of it as bringing your concerns before Him and allowing Him to sort out the best plan of action.
  5. Remember how much God cares for you. He’s not watching to see when you’ll mess up. Instead, He’s eagerly waiting to see when you’re going to step near. He wants you to connect with Him, not out of duty but out of relationship.

So how do you start? Start simply. Start with a heart full of hope of drawing near. Start now!

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