Falling up. Chapter I

Prayer is an incredible privilege provided by our Lord. History reveals that those other than Christians prayed to their "gods". Furthermore the practice of petition is not limited to those who claim Jehovah as Lord today. Christian Science, by example, believe that healing can result when bringing spiritual reality onto the human scene. Five times a day Muslims recite Salah, a short ritualistic prayer. Buddhists, Hindus and even Jains, (those that do not believe that a divine being could help them), pray. It would seem that the need to pray may be inherent in each of us without regards to what we believe or whom we worship. 
Many religions have beautifully written prayers that are still recited verbatim, prayers that may be reserved for special occasions or recited when believers gather as a group. "The Lord's Prayer" taught to us by Christ over 2000 years ago is regularly recited in churches today. The "Shema Yisrael," from the Torah, translated- "Hear O, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." is recited in the morning and evening prayers observed by Jewish tradition. These words have also survived thousands of years with little change if any from their apparent origin found in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy.
Many beautifully written prayers have crossed the lips of millions of those that believe. I maintain that a reverence for the Maker is needed when reciting many prayers. To approach the throne on bended knee without awe and respect may leave our prayers floating in limbo. This restriction does not come from God but from ignorance of God's majesty .
Having said that, I also believe that we can talk to God without pomp and circumstance, we can talk to Him like a friend.
"Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Exodus 33:11
"And the LORD replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend." Exodus 33:17
Oh what a beautiful sound these words carry to my ears. God is my friend! What a better friend to have!
Talking to God as a friend is what this book is about. Conversations with God.

Now we will tread lightly into this area-"conversation" implies, in most cases, that two or more or speaking, sharing thoughts. I know how I speak to God, but how does God speak to me? To quickly swat away the errant thoughts of you doubters out there that may think I am on the doorstep of dementia let me make it clear-I have never heard the voice of God.
But my own inability does not prevent God Almighty from communicating with me or you.
I have experienced God's answers and guidance through many different avenues or conduits. I mentioned earlier that God will sometimes use others to provide us with His answer. Another way of communication is the power of God to simply prevent or cause an event to happen, then when on closer inspection we realize that He answered our prayer. I experienced God's sense of humor once after praying that a meeting I was to attend, being taught by someone I did not particularly agree with or care for, would be canceled. Upon arrival I was informed that the speaker had been called away to another obligation and that I, fully unprepared, would be teaching that day.  I stumbled through the next hour with a greater appreciation of the scheduled speaker than I had begun the day with. I also thanked God for His answer and even His sense of humor.

God will also speak to us through His written word. There has been many times while seeking an answer through prayer that God guided me to the answer He has already provided in the Bible. Just this morning I was again doubting whether a reconciliation with my wife would ever happen. I have prayed so much for her return. I have prayed that if given the chance I would be a better husband, a godly husband. Yet as I sat alone on the front porch early this morning I began to doubt. My morning devotions brought me to the book of James, where he wrote (to me I think), "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."James 1:6.
James was writing about asking for "wisdom", not the "whims" of this believer. It is wisdom that I should pray for, and do so without doubt. Praying for reconciliation without having the wisdom to be a better partner will surely result in future failures.

God's silence is all to often a tool of communicating. When it seems that He is not responding to your request, you are probably right. His silence is as powerful a communicator as the booming of His voice would be. We must look into the darkness of that silence to see His message. In my own experience I have found that the silence belongs to God but the cause is my own fault. I have neglected to purge myself of the things that are detestable to God before seeking His help. We cannot go to God asking for His help and guidance with our hands digging through the cookie jar of humanity. In that jar is lust, hatred, deceit, selfishness, all things repugnant to our Father.

So silence, His written word, cause or prevention and placing others in our path are some of the ways God chooses to communicate with us. There is one more. One that I think He may use the most and the one we may ignore the most...that tiny little voice.

We call it our conscience, or an angel on our shoulder. Some call it intuition. Regardless of what we call it, the tiny voice acts as our moral compass. The inherent need to pray to a god is embedded in this compass. The ability to know right from wrong beginning at an early age is the vocal chords of this tiny voice. Everything that is good, everything that makes you who you are originated here. It is our essence, it is our soul. And still we choose to ignore it. We reject the direction of it's guiding light. We scorn the results that we know it would bring if we only listened. Why? Have you ever tried to listen to more than one person or thing at a time? Eventually this battle ends with you tuning into one source more than the other. When it comes to listening to that small tiny voice we are more apt to tune it out in favor of the one that is causing the consternation. We are more familiar with this adversary, we like to wallow in our own misery, so we listen to the wrong voice.

So is this small voice the voice of God? No, I would never describe His voice as small or tiny. Believe me when we do hear His voice there will be no doubt. It is not His voice but it is His creation.
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

I would like to tell you that all the reasons I have had to pray about that are included in this book were for the purpose of glorifying Christ. But that would be a lie. I pray because of who I have chosen to be. The circumstances that resulted in the need to sit down and talk with God are of my own making. The stories are unique but I think you will find yourself in many like situations, vaguely or with exactness. The answers that God has provided me are included in this description, they may work for you, and if not I hope the will at least act as a guide. I am not a counselor or a pastor, just someone who knows that without my relationship with Christ, without being able to sit down and talk to Him, I would be nothing more than result of two stars colliding in outer space sending their billions particles into a black void resulting in an amphibian that would eventually evolve into an upright being. Nah, I think I will stick with faith.