The Importance of Talking to God

What do you do when you’re alone?

It’s a personal question, sure. But it’s one you’ve undoubtedly been asked before, and for good reason: what we do when we’re alone reveals who we truly are.

And here’s a follow-up to that: when you’re alone, do you ever talk to God? Not necessarily out loud, but do you ever step away from whatever it is you’re doing, and simply talk with Him?

The Bible tells us time and time again of the importance of speaking to God. And we also know He is always listening, and answers all our prayers in His own way (even if His answer is sometimes “no” or “not quite yet”).

So, how do you talk to Him?

Growing up, my family would always say the Lord’s Prayer every night, and something we were thankful for that day and hoping for the next. Now that I’m older and live on my own, I’ll admit it’s something I don’t always do every night. And why? Because some nights, just before going to bed, I’ll have a free-flowing talk with God instead, praying for family, friends, and talking about what’s on my mind as I unburden myself to Him.

One of the best passages about the importance of talking to God comes from Ephesians 6:18 (NLT): “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

The important thing is that we’re giving our attention to God – and that we’re talking to Him. This doesn’t need to be out loud, either; of course, God knows our every thought and intention. But it shouldn’t be a “chore” – it needs to be real, authentic and truthful. By talking to God, we’re reminding ourselves that no matter what is going on in our lives – no matter how difficult it might be or what struggles we’re going through – the most important thing is our relationship with God. After all, things of this world – good or bad – are only around for a short time. God is forever. We need to nurture out relationship with Him, not unlike how any relationship needs communication.

Psalm 34:15 (NLT) perfectly sums up the importance of why we need to talk to God: “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; His ears are open to their cries for help.”

There’s something every author of every book of the Bible has in common, even though they lived in different eras, came from different backgrounds, and sometimes wrote about very different things: they all communicated with God through prayer. It’s an example all of us can follow – and should follow to build our relationship with Him. After all, when you have a relationship with someone, don’t you like to hear from them regularly? The same goes for God. He wants to hear from us.

And even better: we don’t need to pick up our phones or have WiFi access, and He’s always in our time zone.

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After living for several years in Europe, Ben pursued a lifelong dream and moved to New Zealand. An Auckland-based writer, his work has appeared in The Washington Post, Business Insider, The New Zealand Herald, Idealog, Deutsche Welle, and others. He can be found on Twitter @benmack_nz.