"Dear Father, I need..." "Father, could you please give me..." "God, I want..."

Is this how most of your prayers begin? I'm sorry to say that it is how many of mine begin. We feel that God is there and waiting to answer our every request, and He is. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (NIV throughout). But should our prayers only be requests for what God can do for us and perhaps others? Our conversations with God should be much deeper than that. In order to get to know God better, we need to talk with Him heart-to-heart.

If you had a friend or a relative who only called you when he or she needed something, you probably would stop answering that person's calls. Of course, God is not like us. After the death of Moses, God told Joshua in Joshua 1:5, "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."

We know that God is always there when we need Him. But have you ever asked yourself, Am I there when God needs me? Do we ever ask God what He needs? This might seem like a silly question. Of course, God doesn't need anything from us, but maybe He might want a few things from us.

Have you ever taken the time just to sit and talk to God? God longs to hear from us. God misses the time we spend with Him when we neglect talking to Him in prayer. We all long to talk with those we love after their death. Can you imagine that God desires to hear their voices as well?

We have the opportunity now, while we are alive, to talk to God. In Psalm 116:1-2 David states, "I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live."

Just sit down and tell Him how you feel and what has been happening in your life. We might say, "God is God and He already knows what's going on with me." Yet like a loving father, God wants to hear from us, His children, even when He already knows our needs.

Here are a couple of points to remember if you are interested in improving your relationship with our Heavenly Father. First, talk to Him. I don't mean just going down a list of your needs or even the needs of others. Just start talking to Him. Tell Him your hopes and dreams. Let Him know about your joys and accomplishments, as well as your wants and needs. Share your life with Him, the good as well as the bad. You won't be disappointed.

Listen to Him. God wants to help us. He has inspired the writing of an entire book, the Bible, to help answer our questions. If you have a problem, go to your Bible concordance. Let's say you have a problem with anger. I found over 20 scriptures in my Bible relating to the subject. Are you afraid? There were over 50 scriptural references concerning fear! God has a lot to say to us, if we give Him the chance.

Think of how you feel when your children call or sit down with you and tell you what is going on in their lives. They may even ask how you are doing or what has been happening in your life.

Doesn't it make you feel good to know they are concerned about you? How would you feel if they only talked about what they needed or wanted? Has your child ever asked for your advice? Aren't you glad that he or she wanted to come to you for help? Do you wonder if this is how God might feel?

So remember, the next time you talk with God, ask Him how He's doing. You may gain a whole new perspective.