"Talking To God" -2

"Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy." (Psalms 64:1) Now, I don't know what you thought of the closing Scripture yesterday, but it ministered to my heart all day long. Think about the implication of what was being said: Your thrown in a pit, covered with rocks, the water is rising, and your ability to breath in air is coming to an end; how much closer to death can you get? The water rises over you head, and you cry out, "This is the end!" But you still cry out for God, "Help!" And He hears your cry, and He says, "Do not fear." Do not fear! Try telling that to someone you know that is really going through something life-wrecking; you might get slapped in the face. But it sure is different hearing it come from God! My weird kind of question today, although it might seem silly to ask, is, Do you talk to God? I don't mean prayer, as in laying out petitions and speaking as though you are hoping for an answer; I mean talking to Him, just as you would your very best friend; even if it's just to say how much you love Him and can't wait to see Him. This might be a little off point, but it has more to do with communication than prayer; not that there is anything wrong with prayer, because we can't pray enough; but it's more about just taking our prayers to the next level, if you will, where we are not just praying as if God is there and we are here, but you are talking as though He is right next to you, right where you are. I don't know about you, but I always feel closer to God when I just start thanking Him for who He is and acknowledging how awesome He is. There is no better way to talk with God than there is to just praise Him! Like, do you know what I am talking about? Do you have someone in your life that never talks to you unless they need something? If you do, then you know what I mean; as soon as you get the call, the first thing that pops into your head, is, "Now what?" Your not thinking, "Oh, so-and-so wants to chat"; your thinking, "What happened now!" Which brings me to my next point; at what point do we cry out to God? Is it when we get thrown into the pit? Or when we get buried in rocks? Or when the pit starts filling with water? Or when it looks like it's the end?
"Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish. He said, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and He answered me. I called to You from the land of the dead, and LORD, You heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath Your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, 'O LORD, You have driven me from Your presence. Yet I look once more toward Your holy Temple.' I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But You, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to You in Your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to You with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone." (Jonah 2:1-9) NLT