Talking with your heavenly Father: It’s as simple as greeting a cow! 🐄

“Hello Blossom. How are you? Beautiful day for a paddle. Are you enjoying the shade on this hot weekend?”

“Moooo…”

No, I’m not totally mad. Honest. It’s just when I’m out in the countryside I find it so easy to talk to everything – animals and plants alike. Especially when there’s no-one else around.

I remember a summer weekend just after I started speaking in tongues. I was in Dovedale and as I walked couldn’t help but burst into chatter with God – both in English and my new found spirit language. His creation was stunning that weekend with sunlight pouring through branches, glittering off the river, and the hills glowed bright green under a clear blue sky. (There are some great fossils in the stepping stones too btw…)

So it was easy to feel inspired.

But you can let yourself get lost in the wonder of creation at any time. Just look at the detail of a tiny flower, how the veins in its petals stand out and guide insects towards the sweet nectar. Listen to birds suddenly flapping their wings in alarm, cawing as a predator approaches and they take flight to escape. Perhaps you’re stunned into silence by a mountain vista that’s opened up before you, or want to dance in the squally rainshower that’s just blown in. Feel the wetness on your face, splash through the sodden peat hags, enjoy the mud going everywhere!

Whatever it’s doing, the natural world inspires wonder. Are you able to ignore this feeling? I can’t.  When surrounded by His beauty chatter to God just pours out of me.

It’s a bit like being in the Garden of Eden when God was walking there (Gen 3:8). Before Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they likely wandered freely with Him, totally at ease, unbothered by what each other thought (Gen 2:25). In their lush surroundings they no doubt talked openly with their Father.

And our conversations with God can be like that if we let them.

Just imagine He’s physically walking beside you then open your mouth and say something. If you can speak in tongues you might want to do that, but it’s certainly not necessary. The times I’ve sat baa-ing at a field of sheep, or telling a herd of cattle how glad I am to be there and I’ve still felt His presence!

But trust me, it’s even better talking directly with God. And there are many ways to do it (i.e. pray).

You can be:

• Alone or in a group
• Surrounded by noise and disturbance or immersed in peace and tranquility

You may wish to:

• Fire dart prayers for immediate help in any situation or pray deeply for a long time
• Intercede for others or make requests for yourself
• Get on your knees, pace up and down, sit in a chair or lay prostrate on the ground

Or even pray while doing pilates under a tree!

But I find the most natural way is to chat to God as you would a friend. You can talk about anything and He’ll listen (unlike the cows who normally just surround me and moo in my face). He’s interested in it all because he loves you.

To finish, here are some ideas how you can use creation to inspire your prayers and deepen your relationship with God…

1. Go for a walk and soak in the wonder of all you pass by. Move slowly engaging all your senses – feeling the pattern of bark on a tree trunk, watching as the wind blows through its branches, hearing a woodpecker tap, tap, tap among its leaves. Breathe in the scent released by pine needles as you brush past and praise God for all you experience.
2. Sit in your garden or a park, surrounded by creation. Notice the beauty of what’s there and breathe slowly. Inhale for 3 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 5, and repeat as many times as you wish. When you breathe in imagine God is breathing life into you (Gen 2:7), sustaining you. And on your outbreath release His life to others pouring out peace and joy as you pray. [And just so you know, when you breathe slowly you’re giving your brain a signal that you’re in a place of calm so you’ll start to feel relaxed too. Here’s an explanation.]
3. Bring the outside in and get creative. A houseplant or two with a small rockery and model dinosaurs could be your very own Jurassic Park! A natural objects shelf with shells from your favourite beach, pinecones from the local park, or a bunch of seasonal flowers could be just the thing to inspire. Or if you’re unable to collect natural bits, why not sit by a window looking onto a green space or put photos of natural scenery around your house?

I hope you can see that talking to God (praying) doesn’t have to feel like a huge undertaking or a chore to be done if you have time. We all know how to talk to our friends (or cows in my case!) and when you chat to God like that prayer becomes a simple part of daily life.

It doesn’t matter how eloquent your conversation is. God just wants you spend time with Him.

As Paul says, we should…

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thess 5:16-18 (NIV)

And I belive you can. Especially with God’s creation all around ready to inspire.

God bless xx

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