Psalm 145:8 “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Today I talk about how God is love. He is not just waiting and watching for us to screw up so He can punish us, He is waiting with open arms to welcome us back. I talk about how we can write letters to and from God and what an amazing way that is to see how much God loves us and a great way to learn more about Him. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Praise Series #13 Let’s Have A Conversation With Our Heavenly Father
Psalm 145:8 “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
I heard this as the verse of the day on KLOVE radio, and I instantly knew it was one I wanted to talk about because I have been thinking a lot about God lately and who we think He is. I have heard several people say lately that they think of God as a task master in the sky who is watching us carefully and is just waiting for us to mess up so he can punish us. I can’t say that I ever thought of God in this way. However, I used to think I needed to do the right thing or say the right thing in order to make God happy, in order to earn his love or his approval. I can also see how one can look at God like He is up there waiting to judge us. I mean, we are taught to fear God, and yet I don’t think we are taught what that actually means. When it says we should fear God, it actually means to have reverence for God. Our fear of God is not negative but a positive attitude of reverence that helps us ascribe to God His due: Omnipotence, Sovereignty, and Supremacy.
I now think God is Love. I know God loves me. I know He delights in me and that He is pleased with me. I know I am His beloved daughter. I know I don’t have to do anything to earn these feelings; they are freely given. I know he is not up there waiting for me to mess up so that he can punish me, although he is waiting with open arms for me when I mess up so that I can come back to Him. When I try to think about how I know this, I am not too sure. When I was on the Big Life New Year’s Retreat, I was reading one of my journal entries to two of the ladies there, and I felt like the Holy Spirit said to me, “This is how you know. This is where your confidence in yourself and in my love for you comes from.” I took a minute to think about it, and I knew He was right. I mean, He is the Holy Spirit, so of course he was right. But I could see how He was right. I learned about writing letters to God in my journal and then asking Him to write back to me using my pen in 2019, when I was learning to be a life coach and a spiritual coach. I started doing this regularly sometime in 2020.
I was listening to the Bible in A Year Podcast, and Father Mike was talking about how if we want a more intimate relationship with God, we could start by speaking to Him more intimately. I don't know what he said exactly, but that is what I heard. I started writing in my journal as if it were a letter to God. I began addressing it, Dear Father, because Dad felt too informal, and I wanted to make sure I was being reverent. However, over the days to come, I experimented with other terms: Dad, Daddy, Papa. It felt strange at first, but the more I did it, the more comfortable I felt with it. I was growing closer to Him. I went back and looked in my journal. I am not sure which journal I used before this one, but his one starts May 1, 2020. I was writing pretty often during this time. That is probably because it was during COVID, and so the world kind of slowed down, and we had more time. The first time that I can see in this journal that I asked God to answer me through my pen was June 2, 2020. This is what I felt He said to me:
“Dear Holy One, I love you! I do not feel you lack trust. You are a good and faithful servant. Thank you for getting the prayer group online. I missed you, ladies, and the praise and worship. I am here for you, lean into me. I love you, my daughter. I love what you are becoming. I will mold you if you let me. Help the leaders of the prayer group, as the leaders are tired. You can bring new energy into the group. The workshop is a good idea.”
Can you see how hearing words like this from your heavenly Father would help you see that God is love? How would it help build your confidence and help you better understand who He is and who you are in His eyes? It is not always super positive. It is not as if the letters are always filled with compliments, and that is it. Sometimes we need correction and guidance, and sometimes we don’t want to hear that. However, when it comes from God, correction is given with love and grace. When you spend time listening to what God is actually saying, you realize He is not a mean task master waiting for us to screw up. He is a loving Father who wants to help and protect us. Here is an example from June 24, 2020. This is the second time in this journal that I have asked to hear from God. This is just a portion of what I felt He was saying:
“You will do a great many things. I will show you when you are ready. Stay the course. Your work pleases me. Your effort pleases me. Notice the good more in Tony. Point out the light you see. Live by “will this matter in 5 years?” Help bring more light into your family, not darkness. No sarcasm, no teasing, just building each other up. You are better than that. Be a good listener, put first things first. You are doing great, keep going. I love you, my daughter, and I am with you. I know your name. I love you.”
Again, can you see the love in His words? I know that not every word might be from God. Sometimes our own thoughts can get mixed in as well. However, I asked God to answer me, and when we ask God, He answers, so I trust most of this is from God. Another way you can tell when you are writing that the words are not primarily from you is that we are not this kind to ourselves. We are our own worst critics, and we don’t believe in ourselves as God does. We don’t say nice things to ourselves as God does.
God loves you, and He wants to tell you how much. We are just too busy to listen. I have found that sometimes, even when I do sit down and find quiet time to listen to God, I can’t hear anything. I think for me, this is because I get too much in my head. I tell myself I won't hear anything, or I question everything. This is why, for me, writing letters to and from God helps me listen to him better. When I am writing, I am not thinking too much. I am not questioning or overanalyzing. I am just writing down all that comes to mind. Sometimes it was a few things, and sometimes it was longer. There were times when we had a conversation back and forth. I would write something, then write what I felt God said in reply, then write again, and so on. It was amazing! Have you ever wanted to sit down and talk with God? A real back-and-forth conversation, you can. All you have to do is start it and then listen for God’s reply. If you are listening and can’t hear Him, try writing down what comes to mind. We don’t usually hear God’s voice as a loud booming voice from the sky. Usually, He sounds more like your own voice in your head. It is more like a thought than an audible voice.
Writing these letters to God and having Him write back has been amazing. I truly think it has helped to cement my knowledge of who I am in His eyes. I have less stress and anxiety because I don’t just think God is looking out for me, I know He is because He tells me often. I don’t just believe that God loves me, I know he does because He tells me often. I don’t wonder if He is proud of me or if I am doing a good job, I know I am because He tells me often. He is longing to tell you too. All you have to do is ask and then listen for His response. Give it a try, I know you will be blown away by the love He gives you. If you try it and nothing happens, please reach out to me. I would love to help you with this, as I know God is longing to talk to each one of us individually. He tells me often, and also tells us at the prayer group, that His people aren’t listening to Him. If you struggle to see God as a loving Father, start writing letters to Him and ask Him to reply. You will see just how much He loves you, and who couldn’t use more love in their life?
The reason I decided to include this in our praise series is that part of the reason it can be hard to praise the Lord is that we struggle believing that He is a loving Father. We struggle to believe He has our best interest at heart. However, when we are constantly hearing from the Lord, and we realize how intimately He knows us, then we might find it easier to praise Him. If you are struggling to see God as a loving Father, bring that struggle to Him. Talk to Him about it, and He will help you. He is a good good Father.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, I ask you to show each person listening who they are in your eyes. Thank you for all the times you have answered my letters, and I ask you to encourage others to write to you as well. Lord, I pray that each person listening begins to listen more to what you have to say. I pray that your words will fill their soul and they will see just how amazing you are. I pray they will know that you are not waiting for us to screw up so you can punish us, you are waiting to welcome us back with open arms. You are a good, good Father, and I pray that every person listening will be able to see that for themselves, not just take my word for it. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I. Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in July 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I enrobe you with My power, with My love, with My strength. You are my creation. You are the heart of My heart. Open yourselves up like the petals of a beautiful flower and receive all I have to give you.”