I’m a writer and editor. I like to talk. I like words. But in prayer, less is often more. Sometimes the easiest way to clear my head is to concentrate on just one word. Here are a few I use:
1) God
I like saying it under my breath, sometimes humming it. It was the anonymous writer of The Cloud of Unknowing who suggested that a one-syllable word can often be the best word for prayer. What could be more all-encompassing than “God?”
2) Thanks
I don’t say it enough or express it enough. There have been times when I have been so out-of-sorts with myself that I had to write down long lists of what I was grateful for. Easy enough to do in prayer. In bed, at night, I’ll go through a mental list and put “Thanks” at the end.
3) Help
This one is a no-brainer. Sometimes we don’t even know what we need. We just need help. A pat on the back, wind in our sails, a little bit more in the bank account. Whatever it is. “Help.”
4) Sin
This too came from The Cloud of Unknowing. Just a one-syllable word. It’s not about asking for sin, just acknowledging it and letting it go. To become renewed with God’s help.
5) Yes
The word puts a smile on my face. I never know how exactly I can be used by God but I always want to be ready and available. I don’t doubt there are thousands of ways God is calling me. So I say, “Yes.”
6) Jesus
I want to see the world with Jesus’s eyes, I want to feel the Lord’s compassion, I want to make sure my understanding is bigger than my fears. I want to love wholeheartedly. “Jesus,” I pray.
7) Amen
Let it be true. Let it happen. Let it be as God would will it to be. “Amen.”
