Do You Know Who You're Talking To?

Imagine being told you have an invitation to meet someone you deeply admire.

A president. A world class athlete. A musician whose work shaped your life. An author or thinker you have quoted for years.

You would not wander into that meeting distracted. You would not treat it casually. You would think about how to listen… how to respond… how to be present.

Not because you are trying to impress them… but because the meeting itself carries weight.

Now consider this.

The creator of the universe invites you not merely to speak… but to be with Him.

The Reality We Forget

Prayer is not the act of sending words upward.

Prayer is entering the presence of a living, attentive God who desires relationship.

“Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace…” (Hebrews 4:16)

This is not poetic language. It is relational reality.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, access has been opened. Not so we could perform… but so we could remain.

The tragedy is not that we pray imperfectly. The tragedy is that we forget who has invited us near.

Access That Should Still Leave Us Silent

Most of us understand the theology. We can explain the cross. We know the language of forgiveness and grace.

But familiarity often dulls wonder.

The God who spoke galaxies into existence… who sustains every breath… who governs time, history, and eternity…

wants to spend time with you. Yes, you!

He is not impatient. He is not distant. He is not merely tolerating your presence.

When that reality settles in, prayer stops feeling functional and becomes personal.

When Awareness Changes the Room

Scripture shows us that awareness of God’s presence reshapes behavior.

King Hezekiah knelt publicly before the people of Israel as worship was restored. His posture was not private or hidden… and it was not performative. It was leadership rooted in reverence.

Awareness does that. It removes calculation.

“God is in heaven and you are on the earth… therefore let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2)

Few words are not the goal. Presence is.

The Danger of Remembering

C.S. Lewis once suggested, through the voice of a senior demon instructing a junior one, that their greatest fear was not loud prayer or emotional prayer… but prayer that suddenly becomes aware of who is actually present.

Lewis implies that the demon’s “Our Father Below” strategy is simple. Keep the person focused on posture, feelings, or the act of praying itself… anything except the staggering realization that he is standing in the presence of a living God who is listening.

Because the moment that realization takes hold, prayer becomes dangerous.

“The Screwtape Letters” - end of letter IV

This is not about technique. It is about awareness.

Posture as Response, Not Performance

Posture is not the point… but it often follows recognition.

Hands raised can signal dependence or need. They can also be simple acknowledgment of worth.

We raise our hands instinctively when something feels deserving of honor. No one questions sincerity in a sports stadium.

What if a worship leader invites us to raise our hands? Does that make the act artificial?

Only if the heart is disengaged.

An invitation does not create worship… but it can awaken awareness.

If the heart responds honestly, posture is not performance. It is agreement.

And there are moments when even raised hands feel insufficient.

There are moments when the weight of who God is draws a man to his knees or face to the ground… not because anyone asked him to… but because standing no longer feels appropriate.

The Fear of Being Misread

Still, hesitation arises.

What will people think? What will my wife, girlfriend, or friends think? Will this look excessive or overly spiritual?

These are not always questions of pride. Often, they come from a desire to be genuine.

But awareness dissolves self-consciousness.

When Isaiah encountered the Lord, he did not manage appearances. When Peter fell to his knees before Jesus, he did not edit or critique the moment.

When God becomes the focus, the room fades.

A God Who Desires Relationship

This is the truth we struggle to hold.

God does not merely want to hear you speak. He wants to be with you.

Prayer is not a transaction. It is not a report. It is not a list of requests. It is not a performance.

It is relationship.

Jesus did not die to give us permission to talk at God… but to walk with Him, once again, like Adam did in the garden in the cool of the day.

Prayer becomes conversation. Conversation becomes communion.

What Prayer Becomes

When a man remembers who he is with, prayer naturally orders itself.

Adoration rises because God is God, and He alone is worthy. Confession follows because God is holy, and we are not… and honesty feels safe. Gratitude flows because our loving God’s grace and mercy becomes visible. Intercession emerges because that love turns us outward.

This is not a method. It is the fruit of presence.

The Question That Changes Everything

If you were given time with someone you deeply admired, you would not waste it.

You would listen. You would be present. You would remember where you were.

Prayer deserves that same awareness… and more.

So the question remains:

Do you know who you’re talking to?

Not in theory. Not in theology. But in the quiet moment when you realize…

You are not alone. You are invited. And He wants to be with you.

As Screwtape warns Wormwood (paraphrased):

Once all your patient’s thoughts and images have been flung aside… and the man trusts himself to the completely real, external, invisible Presence there with him in the room… take heed, that is when the truly incalculable may occur.

From “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis