Commune

Rendezvous with God #3

by Bill Myers

“Find out about prayer. Somebody must find out about prayer.” —Albert Einstein

With the life of his niece’s newborn baby hanging in the balance, our hero continues his off-the-record conversations with Yeshua—sometimes visiting him in Bible times, sometimes amidst the baffling events of his own world.

One way or another, through trial and error, and always with a touch of humor, he learns the life-changing truths about prayer:

-What works
-What doesn’t
-What is religious lip-service
-What is true communion with God

Join Will Thomas as he continues stumbling his way toward holiness and, through no fault of his own, an ever-deepening friendship with God.

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 12, 2023

About the author

Bill Myers was born into a Christian home, and although as a child he became bored with Christianity, he decided at the University of Washington quote, to "make God my boss." Ironically, at the University his worst subject was writing. He claims to have prayed, and said that he would be able to do anything for God, except write. Even so, he has become a prominent Christian writer, and has a large amount of successful books and films to his credit.

Reviews

[Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher. Opinions expressed are my own.
Scripture Connection
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'”
Romans 8:14-15

Initially, I incorporated the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13) for the Scripture Connection. In the book, Will watches Yeshua teach the prayer, in the first century. Throughout the book, Yeshua helps Will to understand what each part of the prayer means. (While Will’s moments of summation felt somewhat contrived, at points, I liked that the author used the narrative to exposit the prayer in a relatable setting).

I felt led to include the above verses from Romans, instead, because I think that the book is even more about intimacy than it is about prayer. These verses from Romans represent the beautiful gift of sonship– the reason we are able to be intimate with Yeshua, without fear. I think these verses capture the spirit of the story.

Spiritual Themes
Myers’ Rendezvous with God series, I am happy to report, is delightfully invitational. These books offer just what I’m looking for in Christian fiction: the invitation to know Jesus in a deeper way. Rather than providing a lot of factual knowledge, Myers displays the character of Jesus: His closeness and faithfulness.

In this installment of the series, Will witnesses Yeshua’s teaching on prayer, and he also sees the healing of the blind beggar. There’s a discussion about passion motivated by love, illustrated in Jesus’ overturning of the merchants’ tables.

The section below discusses my favorite spiritual themes.

What I Liked
I think I mentioned this in my reviews for the first two books in the series: the narrator’s voice is highly engaging. This tends to be what draws me into these books, possibly even more than the plot. Will doesn’t take himself too seriously, says some funny things, and also demonstrates a relatable attitude.

In this third volume, Will experiences desperation and even despair, as he prays for his niece’s health, and he rages against Yeshua. I find it refreshing to read about a character who is being honest with the Lord. I think that other readers may also resonate with his experiences of honesty. Or, for those who think we have to have our act together before we approach God, I think this is a great perspective shift: Intimacy with Jesus offers us the space to be real with Him.

I really liked Myers’ treatment of the topic of healing and prayer, especially with respect to Joseph, the character who God has given the gift of healing. I wasn’t sure how Myers would approach this topic, but I appreciated that he showed that A) God does still work through people in this way and B) It is GOD who is doing the work of healing, not the person. Simply excellent, in my opinion.

Along this line, I found the recurring discussion about “God manipulation” to be particularly insightful. As a reader (and as a listener/consumer, in general), I am sensitive to literature and messages that offer a special formula of how to pray and achieve results. Though I’m aware that I do my own fair share of God manipulation, I am uncomfortable with the idea that we can (and should) force God’s hand. For this reason, I was glad to see that Myers not only broached this theme, but tackled it head-on, reaching beyond the manmade formulas to the heart of prayer.

There’s also an excellent discussion about “what is true” versus truth, when Bill finds himself peppered with doctrinal questions, during an interview. This was another element that I considered to be particularly refreshing. Yeshua acknowledges the merit of theological discussion, but draws Will to what matters more: knowing Yeshua, rather than knowing about Him. In our Western society where knowledge is emphasized so heavily, I am delighted to read a work that points back to Him– not knowledge about Him.

Content Notes
The main content concern I have, in this case, is sexual content. In addition to a few comments about sex, including one that was just a bit graphic for my (very sensitive) taste, there is also a scene where Darlene, Will’s close friend, offers to spend the night with him. Although nothing comes of her invitation, he does feel tempted.

Also worth noting, there is an unfortunate instance of racism and (as Will notes) sexism. The line is in the middle of an improv scene performance between two characters that Will is not impressed with, and he clearly disapproves of this attempt at humor. For my personal preference, I would rather have had a vague line referencing the comment, rather than the comment itself (which is about Mexicans).

Recommendation Status
Highly recommended. Commune is a refreshing read about prayer, and the title says it all: Prayer isn’t about getting the right words or mustering up enough faith. It’s about intimacy with Jesus. Always. The third title in the Rendezvous with God series continues in the tradition of the first two books: drawing readers, not into a greater factual knowledge about Yeshua, but instead toward deeper relationship with Him.