Help? Thanks! Wow. . . .

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not ask. The spring rains will come again. –Sarah Ban Breathnach

Help? Thanks! Wow. . . .

Anne Lamott* wrote a book about the three most basic prayers everyone prays in the course of their life. Whether we are active, conscientious pray-ers, or occasional supplicants, we tend to turn to God (or to whomever or whatever one prays) in three basic circumstances:

We turn to God in crisis; when we can no longer take it, or are unable to make it alone, we beg for mercy or assistance from the One who, in all things, is greater than we are. We reach out and ask for help.

We reach out to God in gratitude when life goes our way, or when we feel God has shown us favor in answering a prayer for help.

And we pray when we cannot help ourselves, when the goodness of God or the beauty of creation is simply overwhelming. Our souls burst just a bit, and we are compelled, literally or figuratively, to our knees in wonder and amazement. We have a sense that God truly does care about each one of God’s children.

During this first full week of November, let’s pause and give deep, abiding thanks to the One who desires our presence; who gives us life and breath and meaning; who loves us unconditionally, just because.


Monday Give thanks for the beauty and wonder of music in the world. No matter what your personal tastes, allow your soul to sing with joy. Psalm 118:22-24

Tuesday Listen today for sounds of the season: schoolchildren at play, bulbs emerging, animals (and people!) getting frisky as spring draws near. Offer thanks for variety in Creation. Genesis 2:4-7

Wednesday Close your eyes for a moment. Listen to your body as you breathe in and out. Feel the miracle of life flowing through your veins. Give thanks. Psalm 139:1-12

Thursday Pray today for children in another part of the world. Ask God to guide your thoughts-- and your actions. Jeremiah 1:4-8

Friday Take a few minutes to look in your closets. Are there items—a winter coat, perhaps—that you no longer need? Where do you have “more than enough”?
2 Corinthians 8:7

Saturday Veterans Day On your way to work, school or the mall, pause at the red light and give thanks for those who have faithfully served their country. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Sunday Look around you at the beauty and variety of God’s children in this place. Praise God—and welcome one another in love! Acts 17:22-25

God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers, and thrusts the thing we’ve prayed for in our face. A gauntlet with a gift in it. –Elizabeth Barrett Browning

* Lamott, Anne. Help Thanks Wow. New York: Deckle Edge, 2012.


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