Talking with God

Prayer.  I still feel stuck on it.  While reading Psalms 145, I was struck by the praise of God.  I feel like over the past week God has taken my "prayers" and completely flipped them around.  At first it was the issue of time and sincerity I put into my prayers.  Then it was prayers of thanksgiving.  Now it is praise.  As I read through Psalms and specifically Psalms 145, I am struck by the amount of time David spent on praise.  Words like supreme, almighty, exalt, extol, mighty, and glorious are just a small fraction of the words used.  I don't know why I never thought about the amount of my prayer time that needs to be praising the one that gives me my life.  It seems so simple and commonsense.  I guess I have always thought that the praise we give God is delivered during praise and worship in church.  How soon do I forget that for all of eternity, all people and beings in Heaven have been and will be praising God.  When I die, I will be singing my praises and glory to God in Heaven, and I would not have it any other way.  

God has been telling me this week that when I am wanting and looking for his plan in my life, I need to turn to him.  But when I turn to him, it doesn't need to be in the me, me, me sense.  God is there to provide me and my family, everyone, with everything that they need.  This is his pure joy to do this.  However, me turning to God only in the times of trouble, or only in the times of good, or only when I am wanting to know something, is not healthy or the way God meant for the relationship to be.  My relationship with God is no different that the love languages that are necessary for a successful relationship with my wife.  God wants me to thank him, and God wants me to ask him for things in my life.  However, God also wants me to give him glory, or his "words of affirmation" he is due.  It is only with all of these pieces that I can have a complete relationship with my father.  It's not that I think that God won't answer my prayers if I am not doing all of these things, but I think that I am able to discern more clearly what God is speaking to me.  

In Galatians 1:17, Paul talks about his calling by God after his revelation.  Paul talks about after hearing God's calling, he "did not consult with any man," he just went.  I want this same trust and relationship with God that I can hear his voice and immediately go.  I feel like I have so far to go. Why is it that in the Bible, people seemed to just pack up and leave when they hear God, but now it seems like people have to get their life in order, speak to a deacon, work for a while longer, and pray about the calling?  I am hoping and praying that by changing my prayer time and relationship with God to one that is more complete, I will be able to have his faith and trust in God.

Father, forgive me for how I have made our relationship, but thank you for helping to direct me back onto the right track.  I pray for clarity in our lives, and the ability to hear and completely trust in you-Amen