Treat Me Like A Child

I love the Lord because he hears my voice
    and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
    I will pray as long as I have breath!

~Psalm 116:1-2

When my daughter was a toddler, she was quite the social butterfly.  She would talk with anyone and everyone as if she had known them for years.  But I noticed that her conversations would be fairly brief when she had to look up because the adult was standing over her.  But if the adult would talk to her face to face, she was in her element and the conversation would flow.  I've noticed this about people in general as well.  When there's a barrier or some obstruction, the conversation is rather formal, relatively short, and pretty much very formal.

Sadly, when we talk with God we put barriers between us as well.  We think of God as some old geezer sitting piously on His throne holding His rod of smiting ready to smite us with it.  Doesn't make for a very good conversation, does it?  But here's what I want you to understand about God, when He hears us, He comes face to face with us as a loving parent who WANTS to talk with us.  God wants us to see the love in His eyes.  God wants us to hear the caring in His voice.  God wants us to feel His protection.  God wants us to talk WITH Him, not at Him.  God created us so we can have a relationship WITH Him!