Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott.
With only a few days remaining before the holidays, I decided to read this book for the week. Anne Lamott is one of the few writers that can make me laugh on one hand, while on the other hand, keep me captivated by her grounded, raw honesty, and perspective. Help, Thanks, Wow, draws me in by her insights on prayer as only Anne Lamott can write. Lamott begins with a definition and understanding of prayer. From the novice beginner to the seasoned veteran of praying, Lamott offers some valuable principles on prayer. Below are a few simple things to keep in mind (and in heart).
Baseline Understanding of Prayer
- Communication from one’s heart to God (or however one names the Higher Power – as Lamott puts it, the force called “Not Me and Not Preachers Onstage with a Choir of 800.” – p. 3)
- Prayer is real; it is truth
- Spiritual sense of reality
- Seeking relationship; seeking union
- Connecting with something way bigger than ourselves
Lamott then moves to highlight her variations on three simple prayers: Help, Thanks, and Wow. Here are the highlights:
Help
- Life is hard and challenging (In the words of Kurt Vonnegut, “Welcome to the monkey house. This is a hard planet, and we’re a vulnerable species.” – p. 13)
- Help is the first go-to prayer
- We do not understand a lot of things in life
- Prayer of letting go
- Moment of surrender
If I were going to begin practicing the presence of God for the first time today, it would help to begin by admitting the three most terrible truths of our existence: that we are so ruined, and so loved, and in charge of so little. – Anne Lamott, p. 27
Thanks
- Gratitude for any unexpected grace in life (p. 43)
- Make gratitude a habit
- Prayer and friends help you find a way through life
- Gratitude begins as a mindset then moves to behavior in the form of service to others
- Learn to breathe in and breathe out gratitude
Saying and meaning, “Thanks” leads to a crazy thought: What more can I give? – Anne Lamott, p. 62
Wow
- Means that we are not dulled to wonder (p. 71)
- We are stunned to the place beyond words
- Poetry is the official language of this prayer
- Giving God credit for greatness that is beyond words or explanation
- Wow and awe are similar prayers
“Wow” is about having one’s mind blown by the mesmerizing or the miraculous: the veins in a leaf, birdsong, volcanoes. – Anne Lamott, p. 71
My one insight from reading this book is to not over-think prayer. Or as a colleague of mine would say, “Don’t over-egg the soufflé.” In fact, let your prayer emerge from your heart and not your head. Keep it simple. Praying with three words can be profound enough: Help, Thanks, and Wow. Amen.
I pray because I can’t help myself. …because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking, and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me. – C.S. Lewis
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