Gobbledygook

I am reading a text book on writing that my Dad recently gave me. I can honestly say that there is more to this writing skill than I ever dreamed. I’ve learned a great deal already!

I came across the section about gobbledygook. Yes, there is such a word and it pertains to writing!

 “Gobbledygook is writing that suffers from an overdose of traits guaranteed to make it stuffy, pretentious, and wordy.”[i] It is an attempt to make writing sound better than it is by adding words to give it a “fuller” feel.

If you have ever read a legal document, you’ve read gobbledygook.

Jesus had something to say about gobbledygook. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

This verse is in a section where Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer (Matthew 6:5-15). His model prayer follows.

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed by your name,

Your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.”

This prayer spoken by Jesus gives us the purest, most concise way to pray to our heavenly Father.

When we get rid of all the over used words, traditional phrases, and church jargon, we can get to the heart of prayer—sharing our hearts with our Father.

Entering God’s presence with our souls bared is where Jesus wants to meet us. Getting down to the real issues, using real, honest words with our God is where He will reward us.

And when we are to the point where we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit steps in for us. Romans 8:26-27 tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

Even when words cannot express what’s on our hearts or our emotions, God will hear us.

Gobbledygook has no place in our conversation with God. Pure, simple words are all He desires from us. With that, I’m done!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

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[i] Alred, Brusaw, Oliu. The Business Writer’s Handbook. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2000. p. 271.