Conversation with God

"My daughter...why do you not tell me about everything that concerns you, even the smallest details? Tell Me about everything, and know that this will give Me great joy. I answered, But You know about everything, Lord." And Jesus replied to me, "Yes I do know; but you should not excuse yourself with the fact that I know, but with childlike simplicity talk to Me about everything, for my ears and heart are inclined towards you, and your words are dear to Me."

--St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

In this excerpt from Divine Mercy in my Soul, Saint Faustina shows one of her conversations with God. God wants us to tell Him about our feelings, our highs and lows, and our experiences. God says that our words are dear to him. In other words, he cares about each and every one of us in our own special way. When you stop and think about this truth, it's pretty amazing. 

A lot of time we get caught up in saying formulated prayers like Our Fathers and Hail Marys. While there is nothing wrong with this, sometimes I think it's good to abandon formula prayers and simply have a conversation with God about our lives, to talk about our day and all of the good and bad that happened. This also provides an excellent opportunity to thank God for his blessings and ask for his forgiveness and advice for the times where temptation got the better of us. I like this kind of conversation-type prayer.  It helps me to feel closer to God, it helps me to feel that He is real, that He cares, that He knows me and that He is listening to me.