Beyond Mere Talk

A Word from Therese of Lisieux

A Word from Therese of Lisieux

Talking to God, I felt, is always better than talking about God; those pious conversations—there’s always a touch of self-approval about them. — Therese of Lisieux

Clyde H. Reid wrote a book — unfortunately out of print — called, The God-Evaders. His thesis is that many of Christian practices help people get close to God, but once that closeness is achieved, those same practices serve to keep us away from God.

This is precisely the danger that lurks when talk about God is prioritized over talk with God. It’s not that talking about God is bad, it is not. Indeed, it is better than most of the conversations that we participate in. Talk about God has brought healing, revelation, correction, insight, inspiration, and much more. I am thankful to be in a field where I get paid to regularly talk about God. (Don’t tell anyone at my church, but I’d do it for free!) But the treasure is in the experience of talking with him.

This may be an over-simplification, but it is generally true about most things. Talking about food is good, eating it is better. Talking about the beach is good, sticking your feet in the sand is better. Talking about God is good, conversing with him is better.

Talking about might lead one to become a subjective expert, but experience brings something that cannot be conveyed via information alone. The quintessential example of this is Moses and the wandering Israelites. Moses’s face was transformed with splendor that LED bulbs are yet to match. Meanwhile, it’s said of the people that they, “stood far off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die’” (Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭18‬-‭19‬).

To be fair, in that instance the mountain was shaking and on fire in response to God’s terrifying presence; few would’ve wanted to hold a conversation with him. However, that is precisely why talking with him is to be preferred. The God who makes mountains tremble will certainly shake up my life as I commune with him.

People in scripture would sometimes cry out after seeing God face to face, “I’m going to die, I’ve seen the Lord!” None actually dropped dead, but a part of them did die. That part is called “the self.” Ironically, it can be strengthened and misshapen through endless talk about God that doesn’t also include frequent conversations with him. But when one ventures, through prayer, into the Presence, the Self is always dealt a deathly blow. Do not fear; the same God knows how to bring life out of death.

Therese of Lisieux’s quote reminds me of the gift and the priority we must put on prayer. It has helped me talk to God about things great and small, and opened my eyes to the areas God wants to expose for healing in my life. Indeed, as I’ve prioritized talk with God, it has trained my mouth on what to say when given the chance to talk about him.

---