I remember a time in my life where I felt angry and alone. I felt as though God had abandoned me. I sat so many nights staring at my ceiling wondering why I couldn’t hear God. I was frustrated because He would not give me direction. He would not speak to me and my quick whispered prayers full of things I wanted were never answered. I had given my life to God at 8 years old and yet…where was he? A silent, all-powerful God who wouldn’t help me. I spent years crying, pleading, begging with a God I did not know. All the while my Bible collected dust in the nightstand drawer not more than a few feet away from where I laid awake at night in despair. Spiritually I was starving, slowly dying. I had begun to let hatred, anger, selfishness grow in my heart, and it was choking out all the good things God had planted there many years ago. But luckily God is patient! He is loving, kind, and his plan is perfect! He knew how far down I needed to go to learn to listen. How does God talk to us?

God speaks to us in many different ways, but the most important way is through his word. The Bible is God’s word, His truth, instructions, directions, praises and promises. There’s so much He wants us to know if only we understood the importance of His word.
Luke 11:28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 
The word of God is also what feeds our spirits. It’s the method in which the seeds of love, peace, joy, and thankfulness are planted. God’s word is the bread of life, the balm for pain, the joy for sadness, and the promise in times of uncertainty.
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Along with reading the words of God we should also remember to Pray. God speaks with us as we talk to Him. We should talk with God always. Tell him our troubles, tell him every little thing. We need to ask for forgiveness, for change, strength, peace. We need to ask for guidance, knowledge and wisdom. Give him praise and honor. Worship him. We must take everything to God. So often we treat God like a genie but never like a friend. He wants so much more from us than we give, and he wants to give us so much more than we deserve. Without prayer we cannot have the beautiful intimate relationship with God that he wants and that our spirits desire.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So if you have found yourself in a place of darkness, a place of silence, a place of loneliness and uncertainty like I once was. Jesus is the only answer. If we are to live a Jesus filled life we have to fill our lives with Jesus. We must dive into the word, we must pray.
Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
We must also remember that God’s word will light our path and show us the way.
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

May you find peace, comfort, love and understanding in the word of God through prayer but most of all may you find salvation in Jesus and live a Jesus filled life.