What happens when we talk?
What happens to the soul during a much needed conversation?
Talking has the power to connect people.
Talking can give hope.
Talking can be empowering.
Talking can be a gift.
For generations many of us have wanted to talk with God. To ask Him questions. To seek out clarification. To know what He has in store of us. Some of us have even tried talking to Him in audible attempts.
Then we have to acknowledge that talking is meant to be a two way street. Talking requires an exchange between two individuals. One shares. The other receives. The recipient must also contribute by sharing, exchanging and contributing to the conversation. If only one gives and the other only takes then this is a monologue. There is no exchange. There is no connection. There is no conversation.
Why is God so silent?
Is this how you feel about God?
Do you give to Him but He doesn’t give back?
You talk to Him but He doesn’t talk back?
Timothy Keller wrestles with these questions in the context of prayer (1). Keller comes to the conclusion that talking with God is a challenge because He is not a human being like us. For Keller he advocates that we read the Bible in order to hear God talking to us. Then through prayer we can talk back to Him as we wrestle with what He is trying to share with us.
But…
What if we could talk with God? What would He say and what would we receive? What would you say back to Him in response? How would God then continue the exchange?
In the Bible we find the story of a man that lived a long time ago but he had the opportunity to talk with God. At the beginning of his journey his name was Abram and at the end of journey he received promises, a son and a brand new name! The Bible records eight occasions in which God decided to talk to Abraham.
With everyone one of these conversations you find God share important lessons with Abraham. You find that God makes promises. You also find that in order for these promises to come true faith and obedience is required of Abraham. There is joy that comes from those conversations. There is hope. But there is also sorrow.
What kind of emotions have you felt when hearing God’s voice?
What has talking to God looked like for you?
Is it possible to talk to God today?
In a nine part series I’m going to attempt to wrestle with these questions and so much more. I invite you to journey with me through this process. Let’s wrestle with God’s word. Let’s wrestle with God. Let’s wrestle with one another as we try to understand what it means to talk with God.
Endnote:
(1). Read Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. Timothy Keller does a great job of thoroughly looking at prayer. This may help you understand other ways of talking with God through the faith practice we call prayer.
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