Photo taken March 22, 2008



"If you talk to God, you must be religious. If God talks to you, you are plain crazy," declares a brash politician as a reaction to another politician's bold claim that she was "appointed" by God to her position some years ago.



That politician's wry comment is indicative of modern man's cynicism towards all things spiritual. Truth of the matter is God is ever communicating with His creation. "You will seek me and find me, if you seek me with all your heart," God says in the Bible (Jeremiah 3:33). He promises to give a piece of his mind to every earnest seeker. Why talk to God at all, if you don't believe He'll answer? It's that simple.



God always communicates. He does through His word in the Bible (so long as you read it!), His creation and often through other people. He's not as interested in ritualistic, repetitive prayers, as He is in heart-felt, gut-level communication. Neither does He seem to care much about the vocabulary nor eloquence of the petitioner. "When you pray," Jesus said, "Do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."



The infinite Mind who knows each word you will utter even before a conscious thought forms in your mind is more concerned about having a living, intimate relationship with you, than He is about rituals and protocols.


Over the years, my relationshp with Him has brought me places I never thought I'd dare thread.
Out of his bidding, I've ridden military trucks, lived alone in a foreign land, shared meals with the poorest of the poor, even seen miracles unfold before my very eyes--the deaf hearing and the vision-impaired gaining back their sight! His voice has challenged me more to conquer my fears and live out a life I'd never thought possible. His promises have given me the tenacity to hang on when the going gets tough.


Having had an on-going dialogue with God for 25 years now, I still got a buzz when I receive a message from Him. My most recent talk with God involves my current home address. My new husband and I have just settled in one of the most dangerous cities down south. Bombings, kidnappings, head-choppings are common in the headlines here.



One day news of another random kidnapping hit the airwaves-- this time 3 public school teachers had been haplessly kidnapped. As I lay down to sleep that night, I wrestled in my thoughts with God. I've always known that after I got married, home would be in this infamous city. I knew it to be God's will, but then our safety was now foremost in my mind. "I don't want to be fodder for these brutal kidnappers," I argued. I couldn't sleep that night, so a few minutes after that prayer, I got up and sat on my desk. Just then, a text message punctuated the silence of our room. It was a message from my pastor friend whom I hadn't talk to in a while.



His message read: "Just been prompted to pray for you and your family this moment. I don't know why. Sorry to bother you. 'Will you have it your way or God's way?' First, trust God to have your best interest at heart, then trust Him to lead you to the right choice." A timely word from one of God's messagers at 1:30 in the morning.



He included in his SMS the scripture Psalm 32:8-9. I quickly opened my Bible and read: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule which have no understanding but must be controlled by the bit and bridle or they will not come to you."



I had no doubt it was God speaking.



After that nighttime SMS, the situation seemed to get worse. We heard of more people getting kidnapped. Something also transpired in our neighborhood that made us cautious to go out, especially at night. We prayed for God to move on our behalf. Nonetheless, we decided to heed God than the voice of our fears. A month later, two kidnapping syndicates have been arrested. And without much funfare, we discovered that our neighborhood problem had solved itself. To our astonishment, we found out that our prayers have been answered to the letter.

To see is to believe--that is the motto of this cynical world. But God challenges us to believe Him first. Then we shall see His miracles with our very eyes. This is not an easy task and only few have dared to take Him up on His irrational challenge. But to those who dared, nothing in the world could be more logical.

"And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
--Hebrews 11:6