When I pray, I talk to God, pouring my heart out to Him. It is like the relationship with my spouse, in that I share every detail. God listens to my prayers and is never too busy or tired. As I have learned more about God, I have learned that He is dependable and trustworthy. I can discuss both my problems and successes with Him. When I am tempted to eat, I reach out to Him instead of food. He inspires me to open my bible instead of stuffing my mouth with chips.

Prayer is the solution for everything. James 5:13 is, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” (The Holy Bible, New King James Version, 1982). Instead of food, prayer calms my emotional distress. I get more satisfaction singing praises to God in celebration of good times than I ever did with food. Prayer is portable and goes everywhere I do. Sometimes when I pray, I am inspired to open my Bible or Bible app and read. When I don’t have words to pray, I open to a familiar verse and pray these words.

I can tell Him what is going on in my life.  God is all-knowing, but He likes us spending time with Him.  When I am down or upset, I don’t have to pretend all is fine. God is the perfect loving father I can vent my raw emotions to and feel calmed.  Over the years, my faith has increased as I see prayers answered. God cares about both the big things, like my health and well-being, and little things such as what I will eat for lunch. I have learned that no request is too big or little for God to handle. Some prayers are answered “no”. I have learned that my all-knowing heavenly father knows exactly what I need. I bring every need, emotion, and desire to Him.  His answers are perfect and come at the right time.