Pineridge Blog

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid, (Help!)

for God is my strength and my might; (Thanks!)

God has become my salvation. (Wow!)

Isaiah 12:2 and Ann Lamott

Ann Lamott is one of my favorite authors. She is a latecomer to Christianity and a very non-traditional believer. She has dread locks, is divorced, recovering, and she is generally irreverent. She is also Presbyterian, which continues to give me hope for the church.

Lamott wrote a great little book on prayer entitled, Help, Thanks, Wow. More than just being a primer on prayer she touches on the most basic of human experiences that lead us to pray. Something is out of control in our lives so we cry out, “Help!” We’re surprised by heartfelt gratitude when we recognize an unexpected gift, so we say, “Thanks!” We are overwhelmed by beauty and all we can say is, “Wow!” Whatever we say aloud or in the sanctuary within, more importantly, she says to pray in those moments, “means that, in some unique way, we believe we're invited into a relationship with someone who hears us when we speak in silence.”

I think she is onto something. Real prayer is not eloquent prose but monosyllabic gasps Help, Thanks, Wow! She advises to keep prayer simple and authentic. Prayers are not about finding more or the right words but “our hearts crying out” to God’s heart in moments of authenticity.

If you are not sure how to pray, pay close attention to your life. Your life will teach you everything you need to know about prayer. Where are you hurting? What in you is broken? What leads you to say simply, “Help?” What is going on in your life that more than you ever imagined or think you deserve? What can you point to in your life and say, “Thanks?” Could you see the beautiful colors this fall and not say, “Wow?” What else makes you say, “Wow?” The heart beating in your chest? The love of another? The love you have for another? The grace of God?

Jim