Throughout Rogue One, Chirrut is praying and chanting, "I'm one with the Force, and the Force is with me. I'm one with the Force, and the Force is with me."
For believers, Jesus instructs in Matthew 6:7-8, "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
When we mindlessly pray or recite rote prayers, we are not praying as Jesus taught us.
The true nature of prayer is about a conversation with God.
Merriam-Webster's website defines a conversation as an "oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas."
To have an actual conversation, it needs to be two-sided so that an exchange can occur.
When we are the only ones talking, it is a monologue, not a conversation.
In Jeremiah 33:2-3, we read, "Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."
If God was willing to answer Jeremiah and the Israelites, how much more will He answer us, His children, as Galatians 3:26 tells us, "for in Christ Jesus you are all sons [and daughters] of God, through faith."
How can we hear God better? Romans 10:17 informs us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
Want to hear from God? Read His word. Start a regular habit of reading Scripture today.
