#4: Communication with God

First of all, let me apologize, to the Lord and to any readers I may have, for the delay between this post and the last. Though I feel that God has called me to write this blog on his behalf, I personally am far from perfect, and I tend to procrastinate; therefore, know that whatever inspiration you get from reading this comes from Him and not from me.

On today's topic, I believe that God wants to hear from His followers personally. He gave us free will and made us individuals, and no one thinks or feels quite like anyone else. So, when we are praying, we should say exactly what we feel and think to God. He knows what we think already, because He made us, so we should be honest with Him about our desires and concerns. I talk to God like a friend, and in language I would use with my other friends. Sometimes when I am frustrated, I swear while praying, not at God, but in His presence, but I never feel that He holds it against me, because I am being honest in bringing my burdens to Him.
Similarly, I feel that it better to use your own words, rather than someone else's. The Lord's Prayer and other rote prayers are respectful and well-written, but the value in a prayer comes from the heart of the person praying, not from the eloquence of the words said. King David was a poet, and God will not hold His other followers accountable for not being as well spoken as David was. Prayers should be composed by you according to what you want to say to God at the time. I use a routine prayer when I get ready for bed, but it is a prayer I formed myself in the years since I was a child, and it is tailored to my needs and personality, so it has meaning for me where other routine prayers would not. Above all, God wants to have a real relationship with all of us, and this cannot happen when all we say are the rote prayers of others that don't communicate any of our personal feelings to Him. Tell Him what's on your mind, and don't be afraid of what He might think of you. He already knows what you think, but He cannot act to help you unless you bring the matter before Him.