Effective communication is the key to every successful relationship. How we communicate with one another determines how good or bad our relationship is. Being able to get your thoughts and ideas across to others; listening to their concerns, advice and feedback; and taking their feelings into account is not always an easy thing to do. In a world of emails and texts, it has become even harder. People are different and they respond to communication differently. Learning the art of communication takes time and practice.
Communicating with God is also not always easy, but it is well worth the investment. What is God asking you to do with your life? What direction does He want you to take? How do you know it is what He wants? These are all tough questions, but they are questions with answers. If you learn to communicate with God, it will be easier to hear and listen to the answers He is giving you.
Here are a few things you can do to help you along your journey.
Read the Bible. The more you read the Bible, the more you will see God’s words speaking to you. God sometimes uses verses and examples from the Bible to answer your questions or to give you direction on what He would like you to do. The more familiar you become with the verses and the lives of the people in the Bible, the easier it is for God to use them to provide you with direction.
Pray. If we aren’t talking to God, it is a lot harder to hear what He is telling us. God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and to help us make the decisions He wants us to make. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Romans 8:26
Ask for guidance. The Spirit helps us in our weakness. But if we don’t allow the Spirit to help us, He can’t do it. We need to turn off the television, put down the cell phone, or whatever else is eating up our time. We need to spend some time talking to God about what He wants us to do and listen for the answer. “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
Listen. There is a big difference between hearing something and listening to something. Many times in conversations, I think we hear what the other person is saying, but we are not listening to what they are saying. Actively listening to someone can bring out a deeper understanding of what they are saying that goes further than just the words they are using. This is the same with God, we need to listen for His response to our prayers.
Be open for a response. It is rare that God has one of His angels appear to us and give us an answer. God answers us in many different ways: among other things, sometimes He uses Father’s homily; sometimes He uses a song; and sometimes He uses other people. He doesn’t always answer us right away and if we aren’t listening and opening ourselves up for a response, we might miss the answer.
Take yourself out of your daily routine. Sometimes it is hard to work through what God wants us to do in a situation if we don’t remove ourselves from our daily routine. Taking a walk or a drive and spending time with nature will help remove the stress and help to open us up to not only seeing the beauty God has put in the world, but also may help us to decide what God wants us to do.
Think about what you heard. Once you have an answer, think about what you heard. Is it something that conforms with the teachings Jesus has given us? If it doesn’t – it wasn’t from Him. For example – God is never going to tell you to cheat someone else out of what is theirs.
When in doubt – ask for clarity. If you have questions as to whether what you heard is from God, talk to Him about your concerns. Ask Him to clarify the answer. He will give you the direction you need. You can also talk to your priest; he can help you to discern what God is telling you.
Do what He tells you to do. Sometimes the easiest part of developing a good relationship with God is hearing what He wants us to do. But then we need to do it! God has given us free will for a reason. He doesn’t force us to do anything and He is very patient. God lets us pout and procrastinate and mull things over until we are ready to do what He has asked us to do. Sometimes the steps we need to take are really small and easy to take, but other times they seem as if He is asking us to do the impossible. Nothing that God asks us to do is impossible. He is with us every step of the way. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord” Jeremiah 29:11
Trust Him. Trust that God has a plan. He wants only what is good for His people and He has sent His angels to guard over us and guide us. “With God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26