Episode #400: 400 Conversations Later, I’m Still Learning to Listen – Becoming Childlike

Hey, friend, welcome to the 400th episode of Good God Talks. That means that I have talked about talking with God at least 400 times, and you'd think I'd have it figured all out by now, but I don't. 400 conversations later, I don't think maturity with God looks like finally becoming an expert at Him. I think I'm continually learning to become more comfortable being God's kid. That's why we're in this series that we're in right now. I started Good God Talks because I wholeheartedly believe that our good God talks with us, even though that was not how I knew Him for many years as a believer. Even though I struggled to trust that He was good or that He did want me to come near. And so I love getting to help you grow in your habit of talking with God about all sorts of things.

He's made us for relationship with Him, and I've spent these hundreds of episodes asking a variety of versions of the same question: What does life with God actually look like here? In work. In parenting. In this fun moment. In that disappointment. In decisions, in repenting of sin, in receiving joy, in our ordinary everyday moments?

And what we have discovered along the way is that God is so capable and eager to help us get to know Him. He's delighted to share life with us in all of the mundane moments and the momentous ones. God is good, and He does talk with us.

I read Psalm 17 verse 6 in the New Living Translation recently, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite verses. It says, "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray."

I used to think of God as far away and mostly up there. But He is actually so much closer than any of us could even realize, and as believers, He says He comes and makes His home within us.

When I read this verse from the context of being a child, I think of God as a loving parent who bends down to talk with me, who gets close to listen as I pray. And I can pray because I know that He will answer. And I'm really moved right now as I'm recording this episode because I did not always know that about God. I did not always believe that God would want to be close to me. I did not always believe that when I prayed, God would answer.

There's these moments, we all have them, where you hope the thing that you know in your head moves to your heart. You hope to experience God the way that He says that He is in Scripture.

And I know that I'm not the only one who is moving in closer relationship with Him through listening prayer, through these Good God Talks episodes. I am so grateful for the testimonies that you share and the reviews that you leave, because it's evidence of the way that God is connecting with you in your everyday moments.

And the beautiful coincidence of today is that today is not only the 400th episode of Good God Talks, it's the publication day for "The Mystery of the Missing Falls," which is the first in a series of books called the "Kingswell Kid Detectives."

We're helping kids ages eight to 12 get to know God better and learn how to go through life with Him. And the spiritual theme of "The Mystery of the Missing Falls" is hearing God and prayer.

And so over the past 400 episodes, I've gotten to invite grownups like you into conversations with our good God who talks with us. And today, I get to invite kids into that same adventure. I am undone with gratitude and I'm embracing this season to be reminded, by kids, of how we can receive the kingdom. With questions and making mistakes and needing help. With wonder and awe and relationship because we can receive what God offers us. I'm grateful that growing in Christ includes growing more childlike.

And so here's a question that I invite you to take to God today:

God, what's something that you want for our relationship in this season?

I'm excited for what he'll share with you.

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me and have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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