Is God a Conversationalist?

"Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."
Psalm 46:10 NLT

ARE THERE ANY PARALLELS between being a good conversationalist  and talking with God in prayers? Is prayer conversation or simply letting God know what you want?
     Some people believe that God talks to them when they pray. I think of that old hymn about coming to the garden early in the morning where God "walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own."
    One of the heroes, in this story, Mary Slessor, was a Scottish woman who spent most of her life in Nigeria, Africa  then known as the Calabar. When Slessor returned home, some people observed her frequently muttering under her breathe. A few assumed her mind was slightly addled.
    When confronted with her behavior, she responded that she was simply talking with Jesus, explaining that she carried on conversation with Him constantly.
    Good conversationalists are also good listeners. But most never really stop to listen to God something vital for a real conversation. How do you hear His voice? Do you expect it to be accompanied by thunder and uttered in a deep tone that will cause the walls to shake? Or might His voice be a still, gentle voice inside? Looking back, my spiritual life in my early days as a Christian could have been more meaningful if someone had taught me to speak less in prayer and listen to God more.
     God tells us that we should be still and know that He is God. For many of us, its hard to be still while we are talking. But take heart. If you want to be a good conversationalist, learn to listen with your heart, and if you want to be effective in prayer, keep listening. Are you listening?