Talking About the Lord

(Author's Note: Tomorrow begins our Fall Break, so I will be taking a break as well.  See you back here next Monday!  Jim)

“Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.  I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.  If I had cherished sin in my heart, 
the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened 
and heard my voice in prayer.  Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” (Psalm 66:16-20 NIV)

I was talking with a student recently who told me he and his friends were making a more concerted effort to talk about the Lord with one another after being called out by a friend.  It seems they were like a lot of Christians, claiming to know and follow Jesus, but rarely talking about Him apart from Bible studies.  The friend had grown tired of the shallow conversations and wanted something deeper.  

It is an interesting thing that people who say they love the Lord have such a difficult time talking about Him outside of “spiritual settings” like Bible studies, prayer groups, and the like.  While it is natural to talk about our parents, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, etc., the one relationship that we claim to be the most important is the one about which we have the most trouble discussing.

Is it perhaps that we are mired in a religious mindset, that we view our relationship with the Lord as totally different and set apart, something only discussed in religious settings?  If that is the case, then we must realize a relationship with the Lord has many of the same qualities of any other significant relationship.  We talk with Him (i.e., prayer); He talks with us (e.g., through the Scriptures or that “still small voice” of His Spirit).  As the days go by, we learn more about Him, have experiences with Him, and are impacted by having Him in our lives.  We also get frustrated or even angry with Him, as He sometimes does with us. While we may have believed a relationship with the Lord is totally different than any other relationship we have, if we look a little closer, it is really quite similar.

With that in mind, perhaps it can become easier to talk about our relationship with Him with others who also know the Lord, and even those who don’t.  Today, seek out someone and, as the Psalmist did, tell them what the Lord has done for you.

© Jim Musser 2015