Imagine for a moment a little child experiencing the fullness of joy. See her laugh, see her smile—see her love. Like this little child, our heart wants nothing more than to experience a fullness of joy. God wants this for us too, and he offers it in his friendship. His friendship is the sole source of the joy we desire because within his friendship we experience his love.

Like all relationships our friendship with God deepens when we spend meaningful time together, after all, time spent together allows love and joy to manifest. Sometimes we use words and actions to communicate our love, other times we sit in stillness with our loved ones.

God continually reaches his hand out to humanity with an invitation of prayer. Prayer is his form of communication with us. He understands our unique dialect when we speak to him, he knows every word, every letter, every sound, and every action of the language of prayer. He also understands our silence when we sit quietly with him. Our entire life is a prayer in the eyes of God and he delights in us when we follow his ways. Like a loving father and mother, God’s communication changes as we grow, mature, and become wise under his tender care. He continually guides us into a deeper love relationship with him through time spent together. Nothing could ever give us greater joy than a deep, abiding friendship with God born out of prayer.