6.1 Letter to my son David
I got your letter yesterday; I read it last night and was very happy to hear about the visit from your friends. I’m glad you’re all able to pray together and study God’s word together. I noted two areas in your letter that need my response. You ask for some advice on how to make best use of your time when talking with God, and you asked about using mobile applications to read God’s Word.
My first glimpse of God’s wisdom came from a book she gave me.
The Quiet Way, Gerhart Tersteegen’s personal letters from 17th century
The Remembrance… I remember when I was a teenager, still not a Christian. Family gatherings were not that fun, yet I knew my grandmother Duane to be different than the others (yes, your grandmother had a boy’s name). She had a gentle way, a quiet assurance, and a firm hand when needed. She would take me into her garden, harvest a few cucumbers and encourage me to make toy boats from the cucumbers to float in the Missouri river. When my Great Grandfather died, I remember accidently walking into a room where she was praying. She was kneeling at a bed, pouring out her heart to God. As a young man, I had never seen anyone do this before. It was a profound event for me.
Later after I became a Christian and she graduated to heaven, many of her commentaries and books came to me. My first glimpse of God’s wisdom came from a book she gave me. The Quiet Way, Gerhart Tersteegen’s letters from 17th century. That very interesting book was a wonderful gift. I learned useful ideas to unlock Scripture from that book such as ‘God is closer to us than the air we breathe’. I also learned that the politics of this century are not very different from the politics of the 17th century. He sometimes commented on government directives that affected the church. We, as a group of people, seem to have progressed very little over the years. I still occasionally browse that book.
First Question — let’s visit about talking with God. I think we have three general approaches; we can pray, we can talk to God through writing (journaling), and we can do something that I might call spontaneous prayer.
When we talk to God using prayer, I think the model that was presented in the Lord’s prayer works well for all of us. The prayer starts off where we get ourselves settled and in the right place mentally, (a) we praise God for who he is and what he’s done for us. Then we moved to the (b) confession of whatever inappropriate things we’ve managed to accomplish through the day, then we (c) ask for and respond to his forgiveness, and finally we (d) ask him for help on things. During my daily perusal of Scripture (Psalms) I noted a passage that seemed relevant to our conversation:
Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. … But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. (Psalms 5: 1-7)
Additionally, I thought this second passage from Psalms was relevant to the ideas in this letter…
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Psalms 34:1-4).
Talking to the one true living God should be comfortable, easy, and always honest on our part. The two passages in Psalms demonstrate this type of honesty.
Talking to the one true living God should be comfortable, easy, and always honest on our part. The two passages in Psalms (Psalms 5, Psalms 37) demonstrate this type of honesty.
Using journaling or some type of a writing mode to communicate with God is an interesting way to be deliberate in your thoughts. You can read the message silently or use the message as a very effective and well-crafted spoken prayer. I personally have not used this approach but know many people who prefer to be deliberate with their communication to God.
Finally, the idea of spontaneous prayer suggests that we’re in constant state of contact all through the day. We pray about everything and anything. There is no format, it’s just our thoughts directly communicated to God — raw and unvarnished communication. This is my preferred method. Especially when I am engaged with my morning walkabout or working on a project in my Barn.
Second question — using a mobile app as a bible. This is a relatively new idea; many people find it very helpful. I must confess I really do like the printed page, perhaps I’m a traditionalist in that regard, but there’s something very satisfying about seeing the word on paper for me. I often scribble notes in the margins, establish handmade references to other Scripture, even outline concepts in the header or footer of the page. This type of personal notation is difficult with mobile applications.
But I would not wish to get in the way of others who like using their cell phone to view Scripture. I do find it handy to have a bible app when I am in a waiting room waiting to see a doctor or in the car and I’m not driving. Yes, I do have bible app also. Furthermore, I have found it a really good tool to do research on a subject, review a specific verse in multiple translations, and find a collection of verses assembled to address a topic. You can search for similar Scripture or search for comments that are prerecorded on the passage or topic you are reviewing.
Those features can be very helpful when you’re trying to figure things out in real life, and you need advice from Scripture. However, I must say — I can read an article much faster than listening to somebody talk. Plus, I can scan an article and quickly determine if it is suitable for study without having to read the entire article. Finally, I can check the credentials of the printed author much more effectively than checking the credentials of a videographer.
Clearly, from my vantage point, the apps have their limits. But I use one with an appropriate level of caution. If you aren’t using an app, I suggest you get one. I personally like the You Version Bible App. I suggest you try a few different apps before you settle in on a specific app.
The idea of spontaneous prayer suggests that we’re in a constant state of contact all through the day. We pray about everything and anything. There is no format, it’s just our thoughts directly communicated to God — raw and unvarnished communication.
I trust this provides you with some useful information, in addition to this brief response, I have included four essays from my Journal to assist with your quest to explore talking with God.
May God bless you and keep you, may he place his countenance upon you, may He give you peace.
I love you, son.
Your father, Dan