It’s exactly 2:40 a.m. on Tuesday, and my eyes are wide open. Just a few minutes ago, I whispered under my breath, “God, I don’t know how to talk to You.”

Some weeks ago, I got back on Instagram. Since then, I’ve been caught in a cycle of downloading and deleting the app. Tonight, I downloaded it again and spent almost four hours scrolling.

Four hours.

My screen time has gone up significantly. Endless scrolling is a real thing. It fills your mind but somehow leaves you empty,overstimulated and exhausted.

But that’s not the gist right now.

The real question is this: How do you talk to God when you don’t even know where to start?

If you asked me, I’d tell you that I simply start a conversation.I acknowledge that there is a God to listen. I don’t always begin with, “King of kings , Ancient of Days, the Great I Am, Most Gracious God…” Sometimes I start with:

“Daddy, my chest feels heavy.”

“God, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“God Please I want to talk.”

And sometimes, I don’t say anything at all. I just cry.

Over the years, I’ve heard many teachings about prayer. I’ve read books and listened to sermons explaining the “right” way to talk to God.

For me, God is Daddy. Not because someone told me he should be. Not because it sounds nice. But because that’s how I’ve come to know him. Maybe not having an earthly father makes God being daddy more realistic to me.

One of my favorite songs is “I Have a Father” by Jaymike. It may not fit the typical Christian music aesthetic, but I love it. Whenever things start to look blurry, that song rises in my heart and reminds me that I have a daddy I can report to. And that changes everything.

In the love letter written to us, a part says:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” — 1 John 3:1

Children don’t schedule appointments before talking to their father. They don’t rehearse speeches. They don’t need perfect grammar. They just come. Ready to let it all out,  trusting that daddy is the biggest guy in the world.

Recently, I did something I wasn’t proud of. For a moment, I thought, uhm.. let me not pray anytime soon…cause God will not want to see me around..

But then I thought: God is Daddy.

Would a father throw away his child because the child got dirty? I don’t think so…At least not this daddy of mine.

A verse in the love letter reminds us:

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” — Psalms 103:13

That thought alone keeps bringing me back. I love my daddy… but I fear him also, maybe that’s why I didn’t want to pray after realizing my wrong. Talking to God doesn’t have to be scary. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. It doesn’t require Christianese either.

Honestly, sometimes I don’t even know where to begin, especially during seasons when I feel like I’m not representing God well. And if I’m honest, this season has felt a little strange. Nothing extraordinary seems to be happening. No major announcements. No big milestones. No dramatic breakthroughs.

Just… quiet.

But maybe progress sometimes looks like rest. Maybe Daddy wants me close. He owns times and seasons and knows exactly what he’s doing. Maybe he is introducing me to another dimension of his love. Maybe he is teaching me that his presence is enough.

The beautiful thing is that Jesus never made prayer complicated.

He said:

“When you pray, say: ‘Father…’” — Luke 11:2

Father. Daddy.

It’s 2:52 a.m. now.

Twelve minutes after whispering that I didn’t know how to talk to God, I think I’ve found my answer.
I will talk  to him the same way a child talks to daddy. With some tears maybe but in surrender. And just maybe that’s what someone reading this needs to hear today.

If you’ve been avoiding God because you don’t know the right words, don’t wait until you have the perfect prayer line to start with..Just start the conversation. Tell him exactly what’s on your heart. He already knows,but he wants to hear you talk to him about it.Trust me, he’s listening.

After all,

God is Daddy.