Book Review: "Five-Word Prayers" by Lisa Whittle

Lisa Whittle, 5-Word Prayers: Where to Start When You Don’t Know What to Say to God (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2017), 164 pp.  $13.99.

Prayer is a mysterious thing, and how God works through prayer is even more mysterious.  Several years ago, I was working in a ministry organization that really made me question my calling in ministry.  I loved the work and (most of) those I worked with.  However my supervisor was anything but a Christian leader.  Her morals were questionable, her work ethic was sketchy and her treatment of her employees was determined by how little she paid you (the more you were paid, the worst you were treated, which included public shaming).  I was a hospital chaplain, and had just come out of a great situation.  I loved where I had worked, however my contract was up and I needed to move on.  So I moved across town and immediately regretted my decision. 

Fast forward about four months to an incredibly draining weekend where I ended by day by being chewed out for ministering to the family of a dying patient.  It was not my unit, however I was the only chaplain available that weekend.  The problem was not that I was on a unit that I was not assigned to (necessarily).  The problem had been that I had agreed to go and minister to them.  By the time I got home, my family was already in bed. Oh, did I forget that I had to be back at 8:00 am the next day.  I collapsed into my recliner and simply prayer, “God, please do something now.”  It was five words, yet it was probably the most heart-felt prayer that I had ever personally prayed.  Five words.

The next day…I was fired.  I am still to this day not sure that “you’re the best floor chaplain that I have” is sufficient reason for firing someone.  But like I said, everything about this lady was highly questionable.  After being let go, I went back to my office to finish my paperwork (it was the deal to get my last paycheck).  I flipped open my phone (yup) and saw that I had a voicemail.  It was the hospital that I had previously worked for, and they were offering me a job!  “Please come to a meeting tonight to hear more details.”  Less than twenty-four hours later, and it seemed that God has answered my prayer.  I would go on to spend 2-1/2 years with that hospital, leaving only to accept my current full-time teaching position.  Five words.

Please do not misunderstand me.  I am not saying that simply praying a simple prayer will solve all of your problems.  What I am saying is that our prayers, especially in difficult times, can be simple prayers—even as simple as five words.  This is the beauty of Whittle’s little book.  It is theologically light, and can border on advocating the very approach to prayer that I am cautioning you against in this review.  However, her “five-word prayers” are practical.  Some of her prayers can be adjusted for more critical moments of life, such as the sudden, tragic death of a loved one (“Please give me strength now” or “I want to trust you.”).  Yet, in for the busy, connected world that we live in, this prayer guide might be just what you need to find guidance from and fulfillment in God.

Just Before Dark

Note: This is a continuation of posts from my Advanced Preaching students at Kentucky Christian University.  I (and they) would appreciate some feedback.

Guest author: Jacob Steagall (@jsteag777)

There’s always that feeling about the time just before dark. The sun is setting  provoking the best instagrams. You’re driving in the car with friends, getting ready for the big game, just starting the date. You’re in that position of “it’s beginning,” “it’s starting to get moving,” “we’re on our way, but not there yet.” We’re in the moment of transition. Anticipation. We’re taking on the night and though in our minds we water it down, there’s still a part of us that holds onto the hope that this could be the best yet. We feel like whatever part of us is youth, is taking over and we are invincible in this moment. Those feelings, those emotions, all stirring in me while standing in the line before the concert. The chill of the onsetting night cools the fresh paint that we just put on our faces. I can see the look of the people passing by, as they look at hundreds of kids on the side walk with painted faces. “What are they?” “Is this some kind of club?” “Is it a cult?” They’re faces in passing said it all. The answer would be, D none of the above. We’re just some kids with not much in common, coming together for this one event. Wearing the mark or paint, of what this band stood for, the next couple of hours we would be crazy, wild, not worrying about anything other than the one crazy fan that held their beer a little too loosely. You could tell what we were all there for. We had the mark. We were there for the one band, none of the others, but the one band that also had the mark. All held in common by the paint.

In 1 Samuel 16 we see God directing his mouthpiece, Samuel, to anoint Israel’s next king. Samuel heads to the town of Jesse the Bethlehemite and in the form of a worship service, approaches Jesse to choose one of his sons to be king, as God had instructed. Starting at the most likely Samuel approaches Jesse’s oldest, biggest and strongest. I picture a Channing Tatum like character and God denies him. Samuel goes down the line until he is left with the runt who wasn’t even invited to the shin dig in the first place. Proving that the more unlikely you are the more likely God is to use you, Samuel anoints the more unlikely, David, to become the next king. The Hebrew word for anointing, mashah, means to smear, to rub or to paint. David being marked by a physical symbol then had the spiritual indwelling of the Spirit.

We Christians, much like the concert line are painted and we, much like David, are marked, smeared, anointed by the Holy Spirit. From the moment of the indwelling, we have God with us in every moment of our lives. We are called to take on the night with the light that is our King. We do not wait but drive forward in anticipation, preparing for the bigness of what’s to come, taking others with us for maybe the first time, all together for one goal. We may not have much in common, but we should turn heads, others focusing on the one thing that we do have together. This will be the best yet. We are marked, painted by God as a “peculiar” people and we are taking on the night.

Pause to Feel a Breeze

I have a confession to make: I have been tired this week, maybe for the last two.  My energy has been down; my creativity has been down; my inertia has been down.  I have been sluggish in getting projects completed.  The work that I have put out the last week or so has not been my best.  In short, I am in a funk.  And, based on conversations with colleagues and students, it seems that I am not alone. 

Life has a way of wearing us down, of sapping our energy to the point that we lament how tired we are.  We eat correctly, we get the right amount of sleep, we take multivitamins, we exercise, we keep our minds active, and yet we find ourselves struggling to make it through the day.  There are a lot of reasons for why weariness comes upon us, yet that is not the problem.  The problem is how we work through the tiredness.  How do we recharge or rejuvenate?

I enjoy the film Fearless with Jet Li because it is not simply a martial arts film.  It is a story about a fighter focused on revenge who became a warrior focused on serenity.  Li plays Huo Yuanjia, the founder of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.  In one scene of the film, while he is living in a quiet farming village, Huo watches the villagers stop what they are doing and stand stoically.  A breeze passes through the village, and all of the people are refreshed by the breeze.  It takes Huo awhile to understand the significance of stopping to feel the breeze.  When he does, it realizes the spiritually cleansing and enriching experience of allowing the moment to wash over him.

Naturally, there is a connection between this moment in the film and our lives as Christians.  The connection between a breeze, the Spirit of God, and rest is seen throughout Scripture, starting with Creation and ending with Revelation.  There are several well-known passages that deal with rest and renewal.  However, the one that I want to share with you is from Hebrews 4.  There, the unknown disciple writes, “So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God.  For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world.  Let us do our best to enter that place of rest” (4:9-11a, NLT).  Scholars will note that there are both present and future connotations to the use of “rest” in this passage.  Yes, death and eternal life will be “rest” for people of faith. 

Yet, there is also the concept of finding “rest” in our day-to-day lives here.  As Frances Taylor Gench writes, “It is a present reality in our lives when, in the midst of whatever befalls us in our journey of faith, we experience the peace, assurance, and confidence that comes from knowing that our lives are secure in the purposes and promises of God.  That sense of security and well-being is also a foretaste of the eternal rest we will one day enjoy in fullness.”[1]  So, today, if you are feeling a little tired, a little sluggish, I encourage you to take a moment or two and “rest” in the presence of God.  Go outside, walk around, and wait for a breeze.  When it comes, stand still, allow the breeze to wash over you, and rest with God.    

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[1]Francis Taylor Gench, Hebrews and James, Westminster Bible Companion (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996), 31.