Talking to God:

The most common explanation of how to talk to God is through prayer. While this is true, it is also true that you are only talking “to” God. I would stress that you should talk “with” God, which constitutes having a conversation with God. Believing in the first fundamental of faith, “God Exists,” makes this possible.

To have a conversation with God is the same as having a conversation with a close friend. You have to engage in two actions. Listening to what is spoken to you, and speaking so you are heard. It’s that simple. Simple explanations, however, usually become the playground for over-thinking. When this happens we tend to miss the point of the simplest of meanings and what they intend to convey.

To talk with God we need to listen first. God speaks to us in many ways on this earth and the Bible is the most prominent record of God’s words to us. I can provide a very detailed process on how to read the words of the Bible but I thought sharing an experience that helped me might prove to be better.
 
I remember speaking with the father of a friend who asked me if my parents had taught me how to speak Polish. It was obvious that he would ask this given my last name was Zoltanski. Without any other explanations – I just responded “no they hadn’t.” My friend’s father continued to tell me something he thought to be very fascinating. “There’s no word for wheelbarrel in Polish. Imagine that. Ask your dad what he thinks – but I just don’t think one exists.”

I thought that to be very intriguing as well, and I did mention it to my father at the dinner table the next day. After telling my father about my conversation, he immediately replied, “Sure there is, it’s Kolo Becski,” meaning a barrel with a wheel. Well that was solved and I would let my friend’s dad know. Moments later my uncle who lived with us and was at the table said, “No that’s wrong, it’s Tabor Czerparek,” meaning rolling shovel. A dispute as to who had the correct answer ensued during the rest of dinner that night.

All three gentlemen made an attempt to answer the same question, and arrived with three different answers. They may have all been unaware of the linguistic, cultural and grammatical errors they were making.

Firstly, my friend’s father didn’t consider that the name for the item in question is actually wheelbarrow and is one word.  The name he used is two words, “wheel barrel.” There is no one word equivalent in Polish so he of course felt he was correct in his finding. My father and uncle took a cultural approach. My father associated a wheelbarrow for carrying large amounts across distances – and also believed that it was called, “wheel barrel,” and correctly finding a Polish equivalent for two words, and felt he was correct. My uncle had only used a wheelbarrow to move dirt in his experience, so he provided the Polish equivalent of rolling shovel, and felt he was correct. In truth, the Polish equivalent for the one word, “wheelbarrow” is “Barrow Kola.”I find it comical that it ends up being two words in Polish.

Three men attempting to take a word from their local language, find an equivalent in their father’s tongue and trying to relate to its use in Poland while they were never brought up in the common culture of any Polish region. They all provided meanings that were somewhat correct from their research, but certainly a result of how they interpreted the word wheelbarrow instead of translating it.

So . . . now that I have spilled this out to you, how does this actually relate to the topic? Those in the days of Christ would be very similar to these three men in how they communicate. Jesus himself spoke more than one language. Jesus spoke Greek and Hebrew being the tongue of the forefathers, and His local language of Aramaic which He mostly used to preach. The difference is that most people were fluent in these languages and there were very few regional differences in the way of life at that time.

Consider that the Bible has been “translated” into many different languages over the centuries. That is an incredible feat. There are many verses in the Bible where the terms “like” or “as” are used to describe something that would help in our “interpretation” of the verse’s meaning. In most cases these verses are expounding on what God has already plainly said somewhere earlier in the Bible.

There are just as many verses where God speaks plainly to us all. Take for instance this excerpt, “I Am the Lord thy God.” Plainly stated and a statement that will have withstood all the translations over time . . . and would translate the same in most all languages.

I encourage you, when reading your Bible, to locate the plain statements God has made. It is by these plain statements that God is talking to “you.” As you find them; listen to what is spoken to you. Especially search for the many promises God has made to us. Praying is your response. When you pray, speak plainly and in a language “you” understand; speaking so you are heard, and always start by repeating the promises God has plainly stated related to the subject of your prayer.

Don’t worry about God, he invented language – He will always understand us. It’s mostly for your benefit. You should complete your prayers feeling that what you’ve said is what you meant to say and from your heart.

I hope for you, this has meant something or opened up a new direction of understanding for you. Please take the opportunity to ask any questions this message may spark for you as I’m ready to answer.


As always, “may God agree.”
Faith In God Church
In truth, the church is not a building or structure, but more the hearts and souls of the faithful that represent the spiritual brick and mortar of a community that Christ named “His Church.”