I love the fact that David was always honest and open with God. All throughout the Psalms we see how he shared the good as well as the bad. Even though he lived in a time, when the custom was for people to hear from God only through prophets or priests, time and time again we see how David sought the Lord for himself.
He asked for directions. He praised God for the victories. And when he sinned and failed terribly and his son was dying, he didn’t turn his back on God, but fasted and prayed.
The only way for us to continue to grow and live the life we are meant to live, is to stay connected to God, having the same kind of honest and open relationship with Him that David had. To enjoy a heart-to-heart connection with God every day. To share the good, as well as the bad. And to never turn away, not even when we feel unworthy or unloved, because we have failed or sinned.
There’s nothing we can’t say to God. He is not afraid of hearing our anger or frustration. And He would much rather that we come to Him with our pain, than walk away and try to fix it on our own. It’s when the conversation and heart-to-heart connection stops, that we can get into trouble.
I have often felt like doing something else, when I failed or sinned or got frustrated. And I have also done that sometimes. But the pain in my heart doesn’t go away, no matter what I choose to do to ‘cheer myself up’. It’s only when I finally decide to come to Jesus and share and repent, that I can receive the healing and forgiveness He bought for me on the cross. So, over the years I’ve learnt that it’s much better to share right away, than to wait. A painful heart is not fun to carry around – no matter how well we hide it. And it can affect our mental and physical health.
God wants to hear it all
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had a strong conviction that God knew everything. I knew I couldn’t hide anything from Him, so I didn’t even try. But even beyond that, I believe He wants to have conversations with us. He wants to hear what we have to say, even if He already knows.
Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, talking about the events of the day. I imagine they walked along one day and Adam said ‘I had to name these two funny looking horses today. The first one had stripes all over, so I called it a Zebra. The other one had a really long neck and a lot of spots. I called that one a Giraffe.’ How much fun it must have been for God to hear Adam tell this story – even if it didn’t happen just like I imagined. But we are His children and fellowship with us was always the goal. A heart-to-heart connection creates the deepest relationships. So, I believe God enjoys hearing what is on our hearts – no matter what it is.
Being intentional about keeping the heart-to-heart connection
This life can keep us so busy, and make so many demands on us. And I have found that I need to make it my number one priority to keep the heart-to-heart connection with God. Not just pray for all the things going on or read my daily chapters in the Bible – although, those are good things. But I need time where I can really open up my heart, and allow the Holy Spirit to show me what is going on.
In an object lesson with children we illustrated this, by taking a flash light and shining inside the heart (which was in the form of a bucket). That way we allowed the Holy Spirit to shine around in our hearts, letting Him shine light on any areas of hurt or pain. Allowing Him to minister to disappointments or sorrow. And letting gratitude overflow, when the light helped us remember what He had done for us.
One of the ways that has been most effective for me, in keeping the heart-to-heart connection strong over the past few years, has been to write down my conversations with Jesus. Every day I share how I’m doing and what has happened, and as I do, I listen for His answers and insights. There’s something very powerful about writing my conversation with Him. It takes a bit longer than when I talk, so it gives me more time to listen, while I write. So often I’ve seen things in a new light or received an answer, while I was still writing. I still pray for people and situations out loud, because there is power in the spoken word and declaration. But when I have my heart-to-heart conversations with Jesus, I write. Sometimes I write a few things, sometimes I write a lot. It’s not really important how long or short it is. It’s just about sharing life. Like walking on the beach with a friend or strolling along in the forest on a warm summer evening. Sharing openly and listening earnestly. Keeping the heart-to-heart connection strong.
