A recent addition to my daily time in prayer has been a sort of conversational prayer with God arising from my reflection on Scripture and my life. After slowing down with a portion of Scripture, I often write out some of my own thoughts as a form of prayer in my journal. Then, I slow down and pause in silence for an undetermined amount of time, listening to God. Arising from that time of silence, I write out what I sense rising to the surface from God in prayer as a conversational response to my own prayer. What follows below is an example of that sort of prayer, that I call “The Conversation,” from the beginning of January 2025. You can read another example with “The Conversation: at the river’s edge.”
“Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble.” (Psalm 41:1)
“Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
for Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus—
There is room in my heart for Thee.” — Emily Elliott, “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne“
O humble King,
who did not hold onto glory
but entered human flesh
to show us God and true humanity
for our salvation.
O humble King,
I open my life’s door to You
that You might dwell with me,
and dwelling here,
might make me ever more like You.
O humble King,
opening my heart to You,
help me also to open my heart
to all those whom You love
that in me they might encounter You.
You say to me there:
“My beloved, I love you as you are
and also as you will be.
I will love you from now
into your becoming more like Me.
And so, some impediments in your life
must be removed and refined,
making your life increasingly
as true and real as Mine.
I will, and am, doing this in you.”
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Matthew Erickson 
Thank you so much for allowing us to hear about and learn from your personal practice.
The way you write prayers and then listen quietly is so special. I’m going to try this too! Your poem about the “humble King” reminds me that Jesus wants to be in our hearts. Thank you for sharing your conversation with God – it helps me remember I can talk to Him anytime too!
Thank you so much, Aaron. I’m glad these posts have been an encouragement to you. They have for me, too!