Can We Talk?

   I think it was the late comedian Joan Rivers whose famed expression was, "Can we talk?" Of course, she did all the talking and expected her audience to do the listening. She also expressed herself on a subject she felt would be entertaining to the listeners, but a viewpoint that her “talking” was “confidential.” While humorous and entertaining (at times), normal conversation is not always that way. Most of the time there is a seriousness to our conversing; a seriousness that often requires more listening than talking!

   Professional counselors must first master the art of being professional listeners. They must train themselves to not only hear what the patient is saying and more often, what the patient is NOT saying. Through the conversation, the wise counselor will repeat something with the preface, “You said …” and the patient will respond, “No, I didn’t say that!” The counselor will then say, “Yes, you said it this way,” and repeat what they said, and interject what they didn’t say but indicated. It is a means of getting the patient to fully grasp their problem, identify the details, and face their issues. Otherwise, the patient most often remains in denial of their problem and never learns to deal with it appropriately.

   God wants us to talk to Him and He listens! Peter tells us, “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers.” (1 Peter 3:12) John concurs when he writes, “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us. (1 John 5:14) He wants to hear from us, and frequently! (1 Thessalonians 5:17) He’s not being comedic when He asks in sincerity, “Can we talk?” Examine 1 John 1: 5 – 10 for additional proof!

   I muse on how often we talk with God. While we think we’re praying frequently and fervently enough, consider how long we hold conversations with our loved ones as compared with God, Whom we should love most! We’re to cast all our cares upon Him for He careth for us (1 Peter 5:7), but we can’t do that without talking to Him! It isn’t wasting His time … it’s wasting ours if we refuse to talk to Him!