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"Prayer ... is not
language about God or the faith; it is
not language in the service of God and
the faith; it is language to and
with God in faith." --Eugene Peterson, The
Contemplative Pastor
The Lost
Language
We are all tri-lingual.
Not that we speak English, Spanish, and
Mandarin or other combinations of national
languages. These headings simply denote the symbols
that we use and the order of our
words and their structure. Within
those headings we speak the three universal
languages of information, motivation, and intimacy.
Information is language
about; motivation is language
for; intimacy is the language of
being and connecting.
Schools primarily speak information; parents,
pastors, coaches, and politicians often
speak the language of motivation; musicians,
poets, children, and lovers generally speak the
language of intimacy.
We all begin life speaking intimacy. A
baby coos and ahhhs, giggles and
grins. Without words, they snuggle into our hearts. We
then head for school where we learn the
language of information. We see a world that is so much
larger than mommy and daddy and we want to know
about it. Finally, we
realize that words can influence and inspire
people for
action, so we
learn the language of motivation.
In the process
of learning information and motivation, we often
lose the language of intimacy. We may have short
bursts of revival -- chatting endlessly with a boyfriend/girlfriend, or
reverting to nonsensical noises with a baby -- but
those bursts fade all too quickly.
People respect knowledge and inspiration so the
languages of information and motivation take center
stage.
The church has yielded
to this same phenomenon. Pulpits and classrooms, pews and
lounge-rooms become platforms for teaching and
exhorting. And our first language becomes a lost
language.
We get glimpses of the disused
language when we hear murmurs and amens during
prayer. The language of intimacy also finds
voice in music and poetry -- though proponents of
information and motivation object to repetitious
or "shallow" lyrics.
Is it possible that our
loss of the language of intimacy has produced
churches and believers who know more
about Christ and would do much
for Christ but struggle to enjoy simply
being with Christ? Have we discarded
or devalued the language we most
need for a deeper walk with
Christ?
A change of language will challenge
our status quo. Intimacy is far
less "safe" and precise than information or motivation.
But its primal nature makes it the most
meaningful and relational language of
all.
How's your fluency in this
ancient language? May we re-discover it and
enjoy the journey with
Christ.
In HOPE -
David | 
