When I was told to “tell God’s story,” I was cautioned against claiming divine authority.

I give you information, insight, but I am not bequeathing any authority. Pass it on in that spirit.

“But, in fact, having this line of communication with You does make me feel superior, Lord.”

You are not superior. You have drenched yourself in sin for fifty years. Do not feel superior to anyone. Your only superiority is your willingness to obey, and that I have given to you. I opened your heart to love and to Me. You did things to prepare, but I have opened the hearts of some who did not. It is neither deserved nor a gift—it is a fact about Me. I am expressing Myself through you—neither more deserving nor more blessed than the paint used in the Mona Lisa.

Well, okay, no matter who the artist is, paint is just paint. But I couldn’t help thinking that, if you’re paint, what could be better than to make it into the Mona Lisa?

Still, I did not feel like a prophet or seer. As I started reading about different religions, I found an endless cast of characters—priests, saints, mystics, apostles, evangelists, gurus, shamans. None seemed to fit me. “Lord, what is my role supposed to be?”

Just to be a serious reporter of what you are told when you pray.