Since the invention of texting, our conversations have taken a turn... possibly for the better. Face to face conversation has always been the best option, but when distance made it difficult to see our friends and family in person, a telephone call was the next best thing! Unless you had a very chatty friend; then that phone call could become burdensome as the minutes turned into hours. Caller ID made it possible to reject unwanted phone calls and texting became the solution we were all hoping for! A quick text reply allows you to continue your tasks with little interruption while still letting your loved ones know that what they have to say is important to you. One of the things that I have come to appreciate about texting is that when you finally get to see them in person you can easily pick up a conversation right where you left off, without the sometimes-awkward salutation. 

This reminds me of our conversations with God. Although we long for the day that we can speak with Him face to face, we have to settle for a phone call prayer. It's ideal if we can call daily, but sometimes we can get so busy that we only have time for a weekly call. Too many of us forget to set apart that special time and our calls to God get less and further between; once a month?, once a year? Imagine if we could just get into the habit of texting with God when we want to say "Hi" or have something important to tell Him. If we texted with Him like we text with our friends, we'd have an ideal communication with our Lord. And imagine being able to pick up that conversation right where you left off when you finally get to stand before Him.

God's Word urges us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thes. 5:17). Our conversations with the Lord should be on-going. At every minute of the day something is happening that requires us to lift up a prayer or show thankfulness. God wants to hear both. "Lord, take me there safely", or "Father, Thank you for bringing that to mind", are a couple of examples of constant text prayers we may find ourselves sending. Doing so allows us to give God the glory for every aspect of our lives, good and bad. In turn, we are opening a constant line of communication that leads the way into full conversations, which is what our Lord desires from us on a daily basis. Don't forget to allow Him the time to answer back!

Suggested Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I am so blessed to know that you listen. Thank you for giving me your Words of Life and covering me with Your unconditional love. Fill me with a desire to seek your face and spend time with you in conversation daily. Thank you for the promise that one day we will see you, face to face. In Jesus' name, Amen.

1. 1 John 1:3 (NIV).

Today's Encounter was written by: Veronica B.