How do you pray? What do you visualize, if anything? I think that it was Donald Miller who gave me the picture of God as some sort of giant vending machine. Put your request in, pick up the solution from the little tray at the bottom. Do you picture God as a giant Dad to whom you ask for the keys to the car so you can go out?
I have hit the sections on prayer in Julian’s Reflections and she has several meaningful observations. Like contemplatives before her (including Paul who talked about being one with Christ), she builds on her experiences and discusses prayer as union with God.
So, when you pray, are you just looking from a goody from the vending machine in the sky–or are you resting in the bosom of God. You can slow down, breathe, open yourself in trust to God, and let Him just infuse your being. Think rather than machine but a tea infusion that lets the tea totally mix with the hot water.
Sometimes we’re in a rush. We just need a friend to talk to. If you’re in a rush, that’s the best signal to slow down and take time with God. If you need a friend, that’s OK, just take the time to settle in with the friend–kind of like meeting your friend for coffee and taking a little time to connect before sharing all your problems.
Julian has another observation. When you pray, conform your soul to God. She says if you try to make God conform to your soul, it won’t work–because God is never changing. People of my generation in the US (called Boomers) have been great at trying to manipulate everything to conform to their wishes. I see people trying to conform God to their own ideas or wishes.
No, God is God. God is the creator, not the created. God existed before humans, and will exist after humans have disappeared. The best thing is to quit trying to make God into something and just rest in Him. In that way, the fruits of the Spirit will grow in your life and you’ll find true happiness.
Faith Venture 
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