“What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul.” Corrie ten Boom
The availability of God to me astounds me. I can talk to Him any time, any place. There are no prerequisites or standards that must be achieved before I have access to Him. He has given me the incredible gift of constant connection. Of course, I don’t have to choose to acknowledge I have the access, but I am overwhelmed by His willingness to provide this.
I think we often are under the impression (whether we will state it in so many words or not) that we can’t talk to God about everything, or that we need it to sound a certain way. Unfortunately, many religious people have promoted the concept that you need them to be your go-between to God, or you need to learn from them how to approach Him. And what a crying shame that is, as God calls us to approach Him boldly (Heb 4:16).
When my kids have an issue, they don’t stew about presenting it to me the right way and in the right time (although that’s probably coming in the teenage years!) but rather they melt into tears and come storming with all their emotions exposed about what has happened. I love that God has included the Psalms in the Bible, with all their raw, vulnerable aching. David expresses his anger, his sadness, his depression, his fear—just lays it all out there for everyone to see. And God doesn’t condemn him for it! He encourages it!
David was called a man after God’s own heart, and that, I believe, is where God wants us as well. Not cleaning up and making the image pretty in order to “impress” Him, but coming with all of our aches and pains to lay it before Him. He wants relationship with us after all!
In humility, we can accept that Jesus has given us a new Life in Him—we don’t need to clean up the old one to try to make it presentable. News flash—it can’t be cleaned up that much. He’s given us life for death, not just cleaned up the death. But He has also given us everything we need to do life now. This isn’t just about a future heaven, but it’s about dealing with our hell of today.
So, nothing stands in the way of our talking to our Father.
My son had said one day that he wished he could hang out with a famous person, and we have all thought about what we would say or do in getting to have a chance to talk with a person we hold up in high esteem. But we take for granted that we have a constant audience with the One who knows us intimately, loves us enormously and waits with patience for us to come to Him.
Did you screw up again? Don’t wait—talk to Him. Did you forget about Him for a few hours, days, years? You still have access—just talk to Him. Feel funny about talking to someone who you can’t see? Just start, knowing you can’t mess it up. God just wants His kids to be in relationship with Him—He’s not judging the words you use or how you talk about things. He isn’t the grammar police!
I love that I can wake up in the middle of the night and talk with Jesus about whatever is going on. I can be waiting in a line, but still have access to talk with Him about my day. I can be headed into a tough conversation and shaking with fear, but have a running conversation behind the scenes with the One who is my strength for the situation.
What amazing availability He has provided us! Every morning we wake to His faithfulness, to His steadfast love, and to instant communication. Nothing can steal that from us—not government issues, not family dynamics, not loneliness, not discouragement. We always have the access to our Father who loves us, and to His Life within us which provides all we need for today.
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left. Lamentations 3:22-24 MSG