The Bible encourages believers to pray constantly. Sometimes this involves silent meditation while other times it means communicating directly with Him in your thoughts.
Do you find it useful to talk to God about your hopes, dreams, fears and regrets? If so, then you know the experience is similar to speaking with a close friend; it’s an integral part of establishing an intimate connection with a compassionate being like Him.
Identify your thoughts
While silently praying in your mind, it’s essential that you identify any thoughts you are having. In order to discern whether God is telling you anything through them or not, it’s essential that you gain a grasp on how your brain operates.
Thoughts are like clouds in the sky; they come out of nowhere, linger briefly in your awareness, then disappear again without us having any control. When thoughts come, you must recognize them and label them either positively or unhelpfully – unhelpful ones involve cognitive distortions such as catastrophizing and all-or-nothing thinking, while unproductive thoughts might include cognitive biases like catastrophizing.
Once you identify a negative thought, take the time to evaluate it. Think back on similar situations where this thought has come true and think what would happen if you acted against it instead. Write down what you learned – this will help increase awareness of dysfunctional automatic thoughts as well as distance yourself from them.
At all times, whether praying silently or aloud, it’s important to remember that God is always with us and listens carefully as you speak and think. He knows every thought and word, knowing more about you than you ever could yourself; He wants nothing but the best for us all and desires nothing but communication between the two of us.
An effective routine should include something as simple as praying silently when first waking up or going to sleep. You might also prefer conversing with God while engaging in daily bible study – whatever works for you, be consistent in maintaining it!
Establish a relationship with God and allow Him to know that you trust him with both your joys and burdens, this way making talking to him about difficult topics more comfortable. He promises not to leave you or forsake you (Joshua 1:9) so He is your closest ally who’s always ready to listen!
Find a quiet place
One of the keys to communing with God through your mind is finding a quiet space. While this may be challenging in today’s hectic society, if you remain persistent it’s possible to spend some time alone with Him. Just identify when there’s time alone in your day – such as your commute to work or home, gym sessions or just simply waking up early enough – when alone and make that sacred for prayer purposes. Once you find an environment which provides solitude and relaxation make sure it becomes part of your prayer practice!
While speaking with God, try being as open and honest as possible. Talk with Him like you would talk with a close friend – share your daily struggles, thoughts, hopes and dreams as well as things for which you are thankful. Keeping this dialogue casual and simple will help create an intimate bond between yourself and Him.
God hears and appreciates your silent prayers just as He hears and acknowledges your outspoken ones. Sometimes it can be easier to pray silently when stressed; scripture can guide your thoughts and actions effectively for this. Keeping a journal or diary to record these prayers later also makes praying easier.
It is also crucial to surround yourself with spiritual buffers if you are struggling with your faith, such as spiritual advisors. They can help keep you grounded and centered, so that you can hear God more easily in your head; remind you why you believe; keep you from drifting from it altogether and help prevent falling away from faith altogether. Adding books about Christian beliefs or listening to spiritual music such as meditation can also boost spirituality; additionally, joining a prayer group allows believers to connect and share feelings.
Make it a priority
God can speak in many different ways, including through our minds. Scripture shows that humans are triune beings consisting of spirit, soul and body – with mind being responsible for identity, will, emotions and thoughts. Therefore, it’s essential that we pay attention to what our thoughts may be telling us; for instance if thoughts of theft arise but conscience prevents you from doing it, this could be God telling you something!
So as to hear God, we must set aside time and place for focused meditation on Him, whether this means sitting quietly inside your home, or outside somewhere peaceful and tranquil. Additionally, praying daily shows our appreciation of our relationship with the Almighty and that we value what He has to tell us.
As with speaking to any good friend, communicating with God should feel natural. Share your worries, wishes, hopes and hurts; offer praise and thanksgiving; and most importantly ask him for assistance, strength and courage when needed most.
Making time to pray can be challenging when your day is stuffed full of tasks to complete before going to bed. Satan knows your schedule is full, so he will do everything in his power to prevent you from spending quality time with the Lord.
Make time for God despite a busy schedule by simply altering your priorities to create space in which to commune with Him. Doing it all at once may fail and fall back into old patterns of thought and behavior; therefore start small and build up to at least 30 minutes of prayer every day.
Ask for confirmation
As a Christian, you have the privilege of talking freely to God at any time and about anything – prayer being one of His primary means of communication with us; indeed, the Bible encourages silent and spoken prayer as ways of conversing with Him. Sometimes it can be hard to know whether a thought that comes into your head is from Him; here are a few techniques you can try in order to help identify if any thoughts that pop into your head belong there or not.
As soon as something appears in your thoughts that’s concerning to you, take time to pray and seek confirmation from God. He often does this through Scripture: whether that be showing a verse that corresponds with what’s bothering you or an anointed teaching at church – the more familiar with His written word you become, the easier it will be for you to recognize His voice when He communicates directly through them.
An important thing to keep in mind is that God is always near; He’s closer than your closest comrade and knows every aspect of your life intimately. Talk to Him anytime about anything and He’ll always be there.
If you’re having difficulty connecting with God, try approaching it like talking with a close friend: He’ll be thrilled to hear from you and will do His best to answer any of your queries. Share what is on your heart and mind with Him and seek His advice regarding every area of your life – He wants an intimate friendship with each of us and He knows best how best to guide us! Don’t give up if connecting takes longer than expected: He loves each of us more than anyone in this world and wants a long lasting relationship between us two!
