Devote yourself to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2

 

Do you know how to pray? You can actually get to the heart of prayer in a few simple words.

 

“Help. Thanks. Wow!”[1] Those three words sum up essential elements of prayer, one writer proposed, and we can add another word, which is: “sorry.” More than just a catchy phrase, we find each of these simple elements of prayer in scripture.

 

“Help, thanks and wow,” are all found in the Psalms. “Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God… call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you (Psalm 50:14-15). “…In my distress… I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears” (Psalm 18:6).

 

“Sorry seems to be the hardest word,” a pop song once went. But true repentance for when we’ve gone our way instead of God’s is the restorative part of prayer that we critically need. “If we confess our sins to him,” scripture promises, “he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). Forgiveness wasn’t free for God to be able to extend to us, but extend it freely He does. When needed, and it will be, the word, “sorry” needs to be a part of our conversations with God.

 

If you are struggling to see the “wow” of God in your life, get outside and look up. Scripture reminds us, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1). “Splendid and majestic is his work (Psalm 111:3). Don’t forget the “wow” which puts it all in perspective.

 

Help. Thanks. Wow! and Sorry. Try praying those today.

 

[1] Lamott, Anne. Help, Thanks, Wow. Hodder & Stoughton General Div, 2015.