Talking with God Like a Friend

“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” — from James 4

Brother Lawrence wrote letters to his friends, and in them he often told them how to talk with God. He said it was much simpler than people think.

“You don’t need to shout,” he wrote. “God is nearer to us than we realise.” You don’t have to be in church to talk to him, either. He said you can make your heart into a little prayer room, and slip in there to talk with God any time.

His prayers were often very short. Sometimes he simply said, “My God, here I am, all yours. Lord, make my heart like yours.” Sometimes he just thought of God lovingly, without any words at all. He told one friend to lift up his heart to God even at mealtimes, or when he was with other people. He said even the smallest little thought of God pleases him.

He also gave his friends a picture to remember. If a friend came to visit you, you wouldn’t walk away and leave them sitting alone. That would be rude! Well, God is always with us. So don’t leave him alone. Think of him often.

That is all it means to practise the presence of God: remembering he is here, and talking with him.

You can talk to God just like you talk to a friend. Tell him thank you. Tell him you’re worried. Ask for help. Your prayer can be as short as one sentence, and he loves to hear it.

Dear God, thank you that you are always with me. Help me not to leave you alone, but to talk with you all through the day. Amen.