When Life Teaches You to Talk to Jesus

When the Bible says to pray without ceasing, I used to think it was impossible. What does that even look like? How can I pray when I’m doing all these things? I didn’t have an answer or understand what it meant. After years of practice building a relationship with God, it morphed into better understanding. I am still learning how to pray without ceasing, but I can testify to the present difference in how much I talk to Jesus about whatever- from how I feel, to consideration of others, to what He could be trying to teach me.

I began to find more time in my day to simply check in with Jesus. On my long drives to work, I’d randomly tell Him how I’m feeling, asking Him to be gentle with me (multiple times), building attunement to who or what needs prayed over, praying over my friends, my future, my decisions. I caught myself speaking with Him while at work, at the gym, on walks, then it hit me, “Communication with God becomes more natural the closer you walk with Him.” I realized I wanted to tell Him more than before when He started showing me how frequently He takes care of me. Plot twist, it doesn’t stop at praying! He wants to talk to us outside of only asking Him for things.

Talking to Jesus goes beyond asking Him for your desires.

I connected with my inner dialogue and I discovered what I was saying, thinking, and asking were not answerable by my own knowledge. The only One who could calm my innermost fears or answer my deeply thought-out questions was God Himself. I began to understand prayer is conversation. It is a form of constant communication we can have with Christ. It is the time we stop to praise Him for the sunshine that pokes through on a rainy day. It is the time when we are amazed by the fact that He loves us and we did nothing to deserve it. It is the time when our minds wander into places it has no business going and we tell Him. It is asking forgiveness. It is moments we have questions and ask the all-knowing Father.

Without constant communication between God and I, there is no telling how many more mistakes I would have made in my life. I have made plenty trying to be a big girl and do things on my own. There were many times I refused to talk to God about something because I didn’t want to hear His answer, much like the times I’d pick and choose who to ask for advice, because it felt more comforting to hear what I wanted or expect to hear from the friend I chose. But in communication with God, He wants us to hear what we NEED which sometimes makes us roll our eyes and drag our feet.

In the single season, depending on how social you are, there is a lot of time spent alone. That time can be dark and depressing or it can be peaceful and productive. One way to enjoy the “me” time that God has blessed us with is to communicate with Him and to listen to find out what the best use of our time will be. How can we be vessels for God in this season? How can we allow Him alone to be our comfort and our all? God will answer these questions and many others, but we have to talk to Him. We must have those conversations. It’s not quantifiable, but you do feel the difference much like I have when you engage with Him beyond the morning and evening prayers. He will show you much more to be prayed over and before you know it, it starts to feel like praying without ceasing.

For that scripture deep dive:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Philippians 4:6-7