This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14
Let's face it: small talk can be awkward, uncomfortable, clumsy, and distressing. Yes even for me as a pastor especially because I’m an introvert, only through God am I able to get through. You don't know what to say or where to begin. The pauses in the conversation can be terrifying. Some of us can't get over the tension and avoid small talk at all costs. But, here's the thing: every strong relationship you have in life began from those small talk conversations, including your one with God.
There will be moments when God feels so close in our prayer life and other times when God seems to be a million miles away. This tension shouldn't catch us off guard because these wide ranges of emotions are seen throughout the Bible in the lives of people like David, Job, Solomon, and Paul, to name a few. Amid trying circumstances and unsure situations, they pleaded with God for not only His presence but His perspective as well.
Desperation, longing, and wrestling find their place in the same book where people spoke of the goodness of God and the Lord being their shepherd. Just like them, when things go wrong, we distinctively look up. Our natural reaction is to plead with God to fix our situation, change our circumstances or make what's wrong right again. If we are not careful, without knowing it, we can utilize prayer as our attempt to twist God's arm, argue our case and rattle off our demands. We mistake thinking about God for actually praying to God.
We reason that thinking about a situation means we've handed it over to God. Rather than the first line of defense, we tend to pray only as a last resort. We believe prayer is a good thing, but we are unsure if it is a necessary thing. Everybody prays, but nobody feels they pray enough. The resistance comes when God begins to turn the conversation towards our heart, mind, actions, and attitude. We have no problem talking about our circumstances.
Yet, we hesitate if the spotlight turns on us. We want God to fix our circumstances while God's concern is transforming our hearts. He desires that we trust Him and reflect His heart to the world. We pray, "God fix my marriage," and God responds, "Let's talk about the part you play in the relationship." We plead, "God, help my finances," and God replies, "Where are you looking for security? Trust me for your daily bread."
Prayer is His presence with us as well as our constant communion with Him. However, if we want to pray all the time, we must first learn to pray sometime, somewhere. A simple prayer always precedes continual prayer. We must do our quiet time and engage in the discipline of prayer as though our life depends on it because it does. Many of us are only ten minutes away from finding the life God has for us. It begins by being comfortable with small talk with God and engaging in the discipline of prayer.
Small talk is the most important unimportant conversations you'll have. Why? Because these building block exchanges are where intimacy, vulnerability, and trust begin to grow. The only way to move towards an authentic prayer life is to embrace the awkwardness of exposing our hearts to God. Small talk prayers are starting points where we connect with God and explore our relationship with Him. They help us gain a proper perspective where we see the purpose of prayer is more about the relationship than the requests. Where do you need to engage in the practice of small talk prayers? Why did this situation come to mind?
Prayer: Father God, sometimes I find it challenging to articulate what is taking place inside my heart. Lord help me not run away from this tension, but bring my thoughts, concerns, and worries to You. Let me display the courage to offer my whole heart to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
