Jesus, can you hear ME?

Do you pray? In the morning?  As you fall asleep?  Do you have a set time or do you pray all throughout the day?  Do you pray every day or just when you have a problem? As I raised my children, I always tried to teach them to “just talk to Jesus”.  I told them that if they were scared they could just ask Jesus to be with them and help them to not be afraid.  I told them that if they were sad they could ask Jesus to be with them and He would comfort them.  I told them – no matter what happens – you can talk to Jesus about it.  Then one day we were in the car.  Jessica was a little over 3 and Megan was around eighteen months old.  Suddenly, a foul odor filled the car.  It was bad.  You know that smell when you let your children eat things they really shouldn’t – greasy, fatty foods - and they fill their diaper with its waste.  YUCK!  Yes, it was really BAD.  Suddenly, Jessica blurts out, “Mama, can we pray?”  I, of course, said yes and she prayed such an honest and direct prayer.  She said, “Jesus, please help us ‘cause that poo poo suuuure does stink!” (Spoken with her Southern drawl.)

The Bible teaches us that Jesus is our friend.  In order to have a friend – we have to have a relationship, right?  Once we have accepted Jesus into our heart we build our relationship with Him by spending time with Him.  He speaks to us through His word.  We speak to Him through prayer.  Do we have to pray proper ceremonial type prayers?  No!  We can just talk to Jesus the same way we talk to our other friends.  But the really great part is that He already knows our heart.  He already knows what we are going through.  He already knows our hurts, our desires, our needs. And the best part is He loves us in spite of all our issues, our hang-ups and our short comings.   (YAY!  That is so awesome.) 

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  We can talk to God about anything.  He hears our prayers.  If you struggle with how to pray, you might consider using the ACTS method.  (A is for admiration –sharing our love for Him.  C is for Confession – confessing our sins and asking forgiveness. T is for Thankfulness – thanking God for all He has given us and all He has done for us. S is for Supplication – that is what we request from God.)   I Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”  That means we should be consistent in prayer.  Just like any other relationship – if we want it to grow – we must invest our time. 

Let’s do that!  Let’s commit to invest our time in the One who will never leave us nor forsake us.  Let’s surrender our all to Him.  Let’s build a relationship with Him so we can feel His presence and He can direct our lives.  Let’s go to him as Jessica did with that childlike faith believing He will hear us and trusting He will meet us at our need.