They were twin brothers known as the troublemakers of the little town, always causing havoc. They were so bad their mother didn't have anymore answers so she went and talked to the priest at her church. After a long talk she decided to have one of the seven-year-old twins talk with him.
The boy took a seat in the church office and the priest came in a minute later and sat down in front of him. With a stern look on his face the priest leaned in close, raising his voice, "Where is God?" The kids jaw dropped as the same thing was asked two more times, with a booming voice, "Where is God?"
The seven year old bolted out of the church, running the few blocks to his home, dashing into the closet, slamming the door behind him. The other twin walked up and opened the closet door and stared at his brother, a puzzled look plastered on his face.
"We did it this time," he said with eyes as wide as saucers, " we lost God!"
When I need to talk to God sometimes it seems like I have to ask that same question the priest did, "Where is God?" I'm sure all Christians at one time have asked similar questions; we're talking but it just doesn't seem like he's listening.
Personally, sometimes I can can get all prayed out. Now hear my heart, prayer is always the best means of communication with God and crucial. Sometimes we are on our knees so much that we simply forget that the scriptures also say that he is a "friend that sticks closer than a brother." God wants to talk to us like he did to Moses.
FACE TO FACE: PERMISSION TO BE REAL
In Exodus 33:11 it talks about how the Lord would talk to Moses, face to face, just like best friends would converse. Now we know it wasn't really face to face because later on in Exodus 33:20 it talks about how no man can see God's face and live. We also know that it is impossible for God to lie and he is not the author of confusion, so putting "face to face" into proper context it must mean more along the lines of their closeness of relationship. Since I am close to him, I feel that I am able to commune with him like this at times (not hearing him audibly though).
To give an example, I'll be eating lunch at work and someone who has made me feel bad or small, has entered my mind. Now I know scriptures say I am to love that person as myself, lift up their needs above my own and pray for them. But when I'm not feeling so spiritual and I'm struggling and need to have a heart to heart, I will just ask God, "permission to be real".
This just gives me liberty to talk to God about that situation from the heart, no scriptures, no prayer, no bible-just me asking God the hard questions. And I always make sure that I am speaking to him in a respectful and honorable way because no matter how I'm feeling, he's still always "the King".
I feel a million times closer to his heart when I just lay it all out before him. Plus afterwards I can now readily accept what his word says in how I'm to react towards that person when I know God has taken the time to understand and relate to me as the little petty human that I am. I feel loved and that scripture, "He will never leave me nor forsake me" all of a sudden comes alive in my heart as a witness of his greatness and dominion. It's a "face to face" relationship like Moses' and God.
Boom-shocka-locka! That's right, sometimes God just wants us to talk from the heart and tell him in our own words how we are feeling, without all that spiritual talk and churchy language. If Christians are not living in sin but in humility and righteousness, you too can feel this wonderful communion between yourself and the King
Hey, sometimes we can be about as fake as a wig on Jan Crouch. Some saints go around with halos on their heads, talking in the thee's and thou's as if they really talked like that during the biblical times. That doesn't impress God, your not sending shivers down his spine, but you're probably having him fall off his throne in divine laughter at you because you're so shallow.
Come on unknowledgeable saints out there, "you're better than that."
When we're fake, living in sin,trying to hide our heart from him, and saying those old, dry, meaningless-crusty prayers, we handcuff God from acting in our lives. I should know because I was shallow and fake for the first twenty-six years of my "undercover" walk with Christ.
JOB'S GOD TALK
For thirty plus chapters in the bible, Job expressed himself to God. He was real, but broken, and even a little self-righteous. Job mourned in Sackcloth and ashes and demanded that he be answered. Now Job was no more than an ant staring up at an mountain range compared to God, but once the Almighty showed up, Job's pride was broken and he was given a science lesson on how to punch the clock and run the universe.
Talking with God is wondrous, delightful and rich. Even though most of the times he doesn't answer me right back, I know he is there, listening and I in turn listen back for his feedback just in case he does speak to my heart at that same moment.
However, my answers normally come through my now "real" walk with Christ through life experiences and reading his bible daily. And when I get an answer, it always amazes me how he is so faithful. He is the same God that has created over 200 billion galaxies, yet he takes time out of his busy day just to to talk to me, a nobody. Now that's something to reflect on.