God knows your needs but he'd like to hear from you

As Christian people, we have many names for God; Abba, Father, Jehovah, Mother, King, Redeemer, Shepherd, Adonai, Elohim, Savior, El Shaddai, and the list could go on and on.

No matter what name you use for God, it probably doesn't begin to identify all that God is. He is so much bigger than our finite minds can comprehend.

Some people believe that we should never use language that gives God a gender. They say that God is not a man or a woman and it is offensive to call him Father.

I am not convinced that God cares if we are politically correct or not, but I am sure that God wants us to take time to communicate with him.

Prayer is usually the method that is used to talk to God. Prayer is hard for some people, easy for others. There is no correct way to pray, but there are a few prayer methods that you can try.

You can have a conversation and just talk to God. Speak to the Lord as if He were sitting beside you. His answers will be soft thoughts in your head or ideas that just come to you.

Other prayers need to be specific. Tell God what you need, but remember God sees the whole picture in life and sometimes says no. Don't be upset with God and, remember, He only wants what is best for you. Maybe no is the best answer.

Ritual prayers are pre-written prayers that have meaning for you. Jesus gave us the first Christian prayer, The Lord's Prayer, and it is the perfect example of a written prayer that connects us to God.

Ritual prayers are especially helpful for people who have a hard time thinking of things to say. You can buy books of prayers for all occasions.

Prayer through journaling is an easy way to track your prayers. As you talk to God, write down the conversation. It is helpful to be able to look back and see what God has done.

The last way to pray is wordlessly. Just sit still and let the Holy Spirit fill your mind and body and draw you near to God. You really don't need to tell God what you need because he already knows.

God gives you the privilege of talking with Him but, sometimes, silence allows you to listen to Him, and that can be even more important than talking.

No matter how you pray, the important thing is to pray. God wants to hear from you. Make that connection as often as you can.

If you pray, God will listen and you will develop a relationship with Him that will be there through the good times and the bad. It won't make your life perfect, but it will provide you with God's support and love.

After all, if you have trauma in your life and you need God, you don't want Him to say:

"Who are you?"