Baby Talk, Prayer, and Practice!

We have a new baby in the church! His parents are so proud, and they cradle him in their arms with such care, as they introduce him throughout the Sunday morning crowd of friends. Several times now, Monique and I have gazed into his precious face with excited emotion. We are mesmerized by his sweet little features and the inquisitive look in his eyes. We have wondered what he is thinking about as he sees the many faces leaning forward to peer into his little face. We can’t help ourselves from speaking to him in “baby talk” with soft and higher pitched greetings!

Family Prayer
Image: vecteezy.com

Babies bring celebration and new life to the church! They give us hope and the certainty of a blessed future in the next generations. When baby Jesus was presented in the Temple by Mary and Joseph, two mature adults, named Simeon and Anna, came up to bless Him with lofty words of praise. Simeon took the baby in his arms and exclaimed, “For my eyes have seen your salvation!” Anna also gave thanks to God and “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption” of God’s people. (Luke 2:30,38).

Recently, I have been reading a new book by James C. Howell. It’s entitled, Reading the Bible with Bonhoeffer: A Study in Discipleship and Courage. This work is an interaction with the writings, sermons, letters, and books of one of the most brilliant and courageous Christian martyrs of the twentieth century. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested in 1943, imprisoned, and eventually hanged in April 1945 for speaking out against Adolph Hitler and the Gestapo of Nazi Germany.

Bonhoeffer was a gifted pastor, theologian, and teacher who held two doctorates and studied in Berlin and New York City. He esteemed the Word of God and has left an amazing legacy in his biblical insights and application for Christian discipleship. I have been blessed to read his reflections about prayer from the book of Psalms. Bonhoeffer read and prayed the Psalms every day and encouraged his students to do the same. His favorite Psalm was a lengthy one – 176 verses of Psalm 119!

Many of us want, and need, to grow in our prayer life. Each of us is at our own stage of spiritual development. Some of us are like infants, while others are more mature. Yet, each of us has a lot to learn about prayer. When Bonhoeffer was asked about how we speak with God, he used the analogy of how a child learns to talk. James Howell summarizes what the theologian concluded, “Parents speak to the child, and the child learns the speech of the parents. So, we learn to speak with God because He has spoken to us – and speaks to us. How? In the Psalms.” (Howell, p.42).

In the New Testament, Jesus directly quoted from the Hebrew Psalter around twenty times depending on the translation used. Most notably, as He approached death on the Cross, He cried out this passionate plea, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Many believers continue to reflect on this mystery of the Triune God. How can God the Son feel forsaken by God the Father? Yet, some believe that Jesus was comforted by the raw declaration of praying the entire 22nd Psalm throughout his suffering ordeal at Calvary’s Cross.

Sometimes, we hear one believer discipling another with this instruction about prayer, “Just pray and talk to God about what’s on your heart.” Bonhoeffer speaks specifically about this and says, “Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one’s heart. It means to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty. God is not determined by our moods. Do not wait until being overtaken by feeling to encounter God. Prayer must be practiced… 'If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart. Not what we want... but what God wants us to pray.'” (quote-Bonhoeffer, Psalms, pp.14-15).

If you have never tried to pray through the Psalms, why not begin to do this? May I suggest that you start with the 23rd Psalm, and progress through Psalm 34, for example. When you see the personal pronoun in Psalm 25:1, “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul,” pause and regard this as your own prayerful plea. I believe a practice like this will make the Psalmist’s words more personal to your own life.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer taught, “Prayer must be practiced.” Let’s begin our journey into a more satisfying experience of daily praying with the Book of Psalms!

Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
©2018-2026 All rights reserved.
Serve by Design. mjkministries.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Pray and Move Your Feet!"

Image
There is an old West African proverb: “When you pray, move your feet.” I have said something similar in a little different way: “Be careful in your praying. You may be (and often are!) the answer to your own prayer.” Others see this almost as a command to “Put feet to your prayers!” What do we mean by these various sayings? Prayer is not just an important spiritual discipline for the Christian, it often leads to an “in the flesh” response and connection between the pray-er and the prayer request. Prayer and Action! pngimg.com While prayer is one of the spiritual disciplines, this doesn't mean it is just an academic, theoretical or forensic exercise! I have heard it said, "God inhabits the praises of His people." This suggests that it blesses God to hear the praise of His people in prayer. I believe that the Lord gets an even greater blessing when our praying is “incarnated” in devotion, commitment and service for Him. Our best efforts at praying involve action plans to ...
Read more

Uncle Billy Moments!

Image
Photograph courtesy of Paramount Pictures Many of you will remember the beloved uncle who partnered with Jimmy Stewart’s character in the Christmas favorite, It’s a Wonderful Life. Uncle Billy was absent-minded and habitually wrapped a "reminder string" around his finger so he wouldn’t forget things. There is that pitiful exchange between the uncle and his nephew George Bailey. After a costly lapse in judgement in which $8,000 falls into the villainous Potter's hands, George, fearing the bank examiner's reprisals, called Uncle Billy, “A silly, stupid old fool!" Indeed, it was a sad occasion for the Bailey Building and Loan at the cusp of the Great Depression when that amount of money in today's dollars would exceed $114,000 in value. This was for me an unforgettable (and I use that word carefully) confrontation by the two characters in the film. I had an Uncle Billy moment last week. One that I am still embarrassed about. I absentmindedly left my bank ...
Read more

Tips for Making a Hospital Visit

Image
Our new church is putting to me to work! Upon completing a recent spiritual gift inventory for those interested in membership, it became evident that I have a passion for Bible teaching. So, I have been enlisted to teach a weekly small group this Lenten season on the two Great Commandments of "loving God and loving our neighbors." Then, when the staff found out that I had retired after serving some 45 years in pastoral ministry, they have also invited me to serve as a volunteer on their hospital visiting team. Now, I have been "in the hospital" numerous times over my adult years both as a patient and a visitor. As you might expect, I prefer visiting others over being a patient! My family can attest and have said about me, "He's not very patient being a patient!" After a recent orientation meeting with one of the church pastors, I received my specific assignment to visit fellow members who are hospitalized each Friday. The church's administrative ...
Read more