Are we ever going to talk about this?

Lately, I've had a lot of things on my mind; things that I just can't seem to wrap my mind around or shake off. Instead of talking to God about these things and asking Him to help me, I've been stubbornly internalizing my struggles and talking with everyone else about them but God.

This morning as I was pondering over all of these troubles during my makeup regimen, God finally decided to ask me a question that I've been avoiding- "Are we ever going to talk about this?" Hearing His question come across very blatantly, it immediately dawned on me that I've been so selfishly focusing on worrying myself with these thoughts and problems, that I've put turning to Him in prayer on the backburner. It's so stupid of me to just completely shut myself off from His abilities to help me over these struggles, particularly when there are hundreds upon hundreds of scriptures that make it very clear the importance and power of prayer. One of these in particular being 1 Thessalonians 5:17, which says very concisely to, "Never stop praying."

 

Though I bookmarked this scripture in my Bible months ago, these three little words were like a slap in the face to me this morning after hearing God's question. Regardless of whatever I'm going through in life, despite the good, bad and the ugly, I need to pray. So, for the next hour and a half, I emotionally exhausted myself in conversation with Him. It felt great to finally just be able to speak freely to my savior about everything that's been bothering me over the last few days, weeks and months, even. I held nothing back in confessing my emotions and worries to Him, even admitting my anger and frustration over certain things. In turn, God helped me to realize many solutions, such as things that I need to either work on within myself, unresolved arguments that I need to let go of, and things that I just need to trust Him to handle. 

Unlike talking to a friend or confidant, when we talk to God through prayer, we don't have to worry about being judged for our thoughts, or worry about keeping ourselves poised in our emotions because He already knows all of our struggles, fears and concerns; all He asks is for us to speak to Him freely about whatever may be on our minds so that He can in turn, provide us with whatever we need, even if it's just a shoulder to lean on. I think often times, we put too much pressure on ourselves when it comes to praying whenever prayer is simply having a private and personal conversation with God. 

 

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do.They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!" Matthew 2:6-7

In the book of Samuel, Hannah found anguish and heartache over the fact that she did not have a child of her own. After becoming so upset over being mistreated by her husband's other wife, who had two children with their husband, Hannah decided to do the only thing she could, which was pour her heart out to The Lord in prayer. She prayed so feverishly, that Eli (the priest of the Tabernacle), accused her of being drunk with wine, to which Hannah replied, “Oh no, sir! I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” (1 Samuel 1:15-16) Eli instructed Hannah to continue praying, to which she did. Once she was finished, she no longer felt discouraged and was at peace! Low and behold, not only did God bless her with relief in prayer, but he also gave her what she asked for- a son, whom she named Samuel. 

God doesn't care where you are in your life, whether or not you've been to church that Sunday or how long it's been since you've confessed your sins to Him, he doesn't even care how you do it- be it in your home or on your commute to work- He just wants you to talk to Him about whatever it is you're going through or whatever you may need in your life. You are and will always be worthy of His time through prayer, regardless of your circumstances.

So, when are you going to talk about it with him?