The letters · Start here
A closer walk with the Lord
If you long to know the Lord more closely, these five letters offer a place to begin. They speak of His nearness, of simple prayer, and of walking with Jesus through the ordinary hours of life.
Read slowly, one letter at a time. When a passage moves you to pray, take time to remain with the Lord.
The introductions below are a reading guide. Each link opens a complete letter in Jarred Fenlason’s English translation, with its sources and notes.
1. God is near
Begin with the nearness and love of God. Tersteegen invites his reader to turn to Jesus with childlike confidence, spend time with Him in prayer, and carry that fellowship into ordinary work.
Volume I · Part II · Letter 98
Read the complete letter →2. Remain before Him
If prayer feels difficult, this letter offers a simple beginning: come before God as you are, tell Him what is in your heart, and remain with Him. Distraction and a lack of feeling need not keep you away.
Of the simple and easy art of praying rightly.
Volume I · Part I · Letter 119
Read the complete letter →3. Walk with Him through the day
In this Christmas letter, Tersteegen urges a friend to welcome Jesus without waiting to make herself worthy. He then shows how time in solitude and outward work can both become occasions for fellowship with Him.
Volume I · Part II · Letter 32
Read the complete letter →4. Look at the Savior
Writing amid illness and recovery, Tersteegen recalls Peter on the water. He encourages his reader to turn from preoccupation with her own weakness toward a calm, loving attention to Jesus, learning this as a daily and hourly lesson.
To look upon Jesus alone in everything is what alone makes glad, calm, and holy.
Volume I · Part II · Letter 33
Read the complete letter →5. Love Him and yield to Him
To a friend troubled by her sins, Tersteegen commends the healing of Jesus and explains what it means to love Him: to desire to please Him in prayer, obedience, self-denial, and the circumstances of each day.
In Jesus there is counsel and remedy for all our sins. Wherein the love of God consists.
Volume I · Part I · Letter 37
Read the complete letter →
Continue reading
When you are ready, follow one of these paths a little further. Take one letter at a time, leaving room to pray.
Living in God’s presence
These letters invite you to remember the Lord throughout the day and give Him room to work in your heart.
Remembering Him in daily life
A brief letter on returning your attention to God, yielding to Him in household affairs, and remaining inwardly near Him while your hands are at work.
Instruction on the loving presence of God.
Volume I · Part I · Letter 143
Israel, forget Me not
Taking Isaiah 44:21 as his starting point, Tersteegen asks what occupies our attention and invites us to remember the God who would impart Himself to us in the present moment.
Upon the words: Israel, forget Me not. Isaiah 44:21.
Volume I · Part I · Letter 27
Growing in prayer
Read a fuller account of drawing near to God in Christ, followed by practical counsel for making time to be with Him.
Drawing near to God in Christ
In this longer letter, Tersteegen explains inward prayer as drawing near to God through Jesus and remaining before Him. He grounds that invitation in Christ’s redeeming work and describes our response in love, self-denial, and surrender.
Of inward prayer in general: wherein it consists, and how it is to be practiced.
Volume I · Part I · Letter 72
Making time for the Lord
Tersteegen counsels a particular friend about regular times of prayer, allowing for the duties of his day. Throughout these practical directions, faith in God’s nearness is the foundation and love for Him is the guide.
Particular directions concerning daily times of withdrawal for prayer, and also concerning the exercise of prayer itself.
Volume II · Part III · Letter 63
Remaining faithful when God seems distant
For seasons when prayer feels dry, these letters offer counsel on trusting God, waiting upon Him, and continuing to love Him.
His love remains unchanged
Writing at Pentecost to a friend acquainted with weakness and discouragement, Tersteegen encourages a gentle, childlike trust in God’s unchanging love, even when His presence brings no felt comfort.
Preparation for a true Pentecost. The knowledge of the inner way is a rare grace. God is the unchangeable Love, even in dryness and darkness. How to bear oneself in it.
Volume I · Part I · Letter 3
Loving Him in the dryness
To a sister enduring spiritual dryness, Tersteegen speaks of humility, dependence on grace, and patiently waiting upon God. He encourages her to continue loving and praising the Lord, who remains worthy of her love.
Useful instruction, how one must conduct oneself in inward dryness.
Volume II · Part IV · Letter 13