When I was in school, we used a curriculum from a fairly conservative Christian publisher. I won’t say we didn’t have some good laughs over the English assignments about why rock music and communists were of the devil. We also tried not to laugh when they would write out prayers – full of flowery language, thees, thous, and a very archaic ways of speaking. We knew this was truly how some people pray. But we also knew God understands us whether we call Him “Thou” or “You.” It’s not that God moves with the times, just that He’s a lot bigger than we sometimes make Him seem, and He understands us in any language (including Shakespearean).
As I grew older, I would (and still do) speak to God both in prayer and in however I’m thinking at the moment. This is good and healthy. First, because He knows my thoughts anyway (so there’s no reason to cover them with some kind of Christian sugar-coating), and second, because it means I can invite God into my day – or maybe invite myself into God’s day by being open to Him and what He is doing.
However, I began to notice the casual way I’d talk to God. It was what I was thinking – it wasn’t a lie or a lack of respect, per se. And I do not at all advocate only interacting with God on a perfect-all-the-time basis. It was how I was thinking. The more I did it, the more I realized my thoughts weren’t as honoring as I would talk to anyone else.
I don’t want to change the way I talk to God. I want to change what’s happening inside. I could lean on self-control and only talk to God with the respect due a dear friend. That would be good to a degree, and probably do less to break His heart. But if I change the way I think, I’ll change the way I talk to both God and the way I talk to myself – the very image of God, Himself.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
