When you talk to a friend, you’re unguarded and relaxed. No need to ‘mind your Ps and Qs’. You can say what you think without fear of being judged. That’s how Moses and God talked to each other – like two friends who were trusting and transparent. They said what they felt and thought. The Israelites had just created a golden calf to worship, and God was angry enough to disown them and pick some new friends. Moses had a major crisis on his hands, and he engaged God in a serious conversation. In essence he told God, ‘You see it one way and I see it another way. And your perspective is making me very uncomfortable.’ Sounds like a candid exchange between friends, right? He wasn’t being disrespectful, he was opening his heart. God and Moses knew each other well enough to speak ‘face to face, as one speaks to a friend’. Do you pray like that? No posturing; just a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend you trust and feel close to. That’s what God wanted with Moses, and what He wants with you! Religious-sounding clichés and the usual run-of-the-mill prayer request list can undermine your opportunity to connect deeply and personally with God. Open up to Him instead. Get down to the nitty-gritty where you talk honestly about where you’re coming from and what you feel, think, and desire. That’s what being friends with God is all about!