Courtenay Evans, “Have a Talk with God”
Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.
I love the song by Stevie Wonder: “Have a Talk with God:” The lyrics read:
Many of us feel we walk alone without a friend
Never communicating with the One who lives within
Forgetting all about the One who never, ever lets you down
And you can talk to Him anytime, He's always around
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
When your load's too much to bear
Just go talk to God, He cares
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
Tonight we hear: Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. These words are so comforting. These words remind us that God is so full of love for us, that God only desires to be in constant relationship with us. Tonight, I’ll focus on prayer as conversation; conversing with God about our fears, doubts, hopes, longings, shortcomings, praise, thanksgivings, anxieties, questions, need of guidance…all-encompassing conversation!
And it is important to remember that that we are not starting the conversation with God, but rather we are joining in a conversation that God has already begun with us. Prayer as conversation. We can talk with Him anytime. He’s always around. And if we forget to pray, it is okay: God’s deep and abounding love is always present no matter how much we toss, turn, fail, doubt, question and stumble. God is holding us gently, understanding our humanness and carrying us through desolate places in life and in prayer. And, when we have no words for prayer, when we do not know how to pray for one another or how to converse with God, we can be reminded of the words in the Gospel of Matthew: “for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Do not lose heart. God is always with us; in constant conversation; in constant relationship. And as Stevie Wonder says: Just go talk to God, he cares. And you can talk to him anytime, He’s always around. Amen