What? Pray?

I have a new favorite book.  It is Anne Lamott’s Help Thanks Wow.

It’s fresh and it speaks to me.

For instance, Anne says:

“We can say anything to God.  It’s all prayer - even the simple word ‘help’.

“That is a pretty profound prayer.  It’s not a hallmark prayer like the Lord’s Prayer or the Serenity Prayer, but it’s pretty profound anyway.” 

What exactly is prayer?  Its conversation – it’s simply talking to our higher power (God) about anything and everything.  Its shotgun bursts of “help’, “thanks”, “I hurt”, “I’m lonely”, and many other utterances. 

We pray because we seek union.  We seek union with God because so often we are bitter or broken.  Anne says that “In fact, these are probably the best possible conditions under which to pray.” 

Feast your eyes on this concept:  “Prayer is taking a chance that against all odds and past history, we are loved and chosen, and do not have to get it together before we show up.  The opposite may be true.  We may not be able to get it together until after we show up in such miserable shape.”

There seems to be a dose of honesty in this approach to praying, and the God I talk to can handle my honesty. 

Let’s begin some honest conversations. 

Pray.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time