O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon all your faithful people your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know my necessities before I ask and my ignorance in asking: Have compassion on my weakness, and mercifully give me those things which for my unworthiness I dare not, and for my blindness I cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Okay, I couldn’t not write about this week's prayer, specifically the first part:

Lord, make me have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name

While I respect the desire expressed in this prayer, I confess that I’m troubled by make me each time I read it. We recently sang a song at church that expressed a similar sentiment: “Please wipe away the part of me that gets in the way.” I had a hard time singing these words, though I totally understand where the writer is coming from.

Here’s the problem: is it appropriate to ask God to make us do something? It seems to me that if I desire greater love and reverence for God, my prayer should be “Lord, help me to grow into perpetual love and reverence for your Holy Name.”

It’s about responsibility–that is, who’s job is it to ensure that I grow and change? Mine or God’s? Clearly, God desires my growth, and I believe that He honors my efforts to grow. And equally important, He is pleased by my desire to grow.

I’m reminded of something Gwen Shamblin (Weigh Down Workshop) used to say: “When you ask God to make you thin as you stand with your head in the refrigerator looking for more food to eat, you’re asking Him to perform a suction-assisted lipectomy.” In other words, we’re saying “change me without me having to do any work.” While I don’t agree with everything Shamblin teaches (her doctrine has apparently become a little wonky in the last few years), I very much appreciate her focus on personal responsibility; real change requires not only my desire but also my effort.

That’s where I stumble with the lyrics. Have I thought–and even prayed–something like “wipe away the part of me that gets in the way”? Absolutely! I suspect most of us have at one time or another. But is that the right (best?) prayer? I don’t think so. Let’s make it more specific: “Lord, I’m arrogant and that gets in the way; make me humble in one easy step.” We’ve got the desire for growth or change here, but not the effort, not the responsibility. [I should note that I don’t mean to dis the writer of this song; I respect the desire that’s being expressed. I question, though, what these words teach us, the attitude that they promote.]

In Psalm 25, David says, “Make me to know your ways, O Lord.” At first glance, this might seem to validate the appointed prayer and the lyrics. But look at where David goes with this:

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.

David repeats his plea with “teach me” twice in these two verses. What I take from this is “show me how, Father”:

• teach me to love You more;
• show me how to get rid of hindrances;
• help me learn what my role is in changing and growing.

Other translations support this idea; most render “Make me to know your ways” as “Show me your ways.” There’s no sense of God compelling us here.

So, what do you think? It occurs to me that perhaps I’m going all English teacher and getting caught up in semantics, splitting hairs. That is a possibility, because I know that it’s easy for me to make too much of language and so miss the point. Tell me your thoughts about this prayer–and my take on it–in the comments.

One of the things I love about The Divine Hours is that each of the three prayers for the day–morning, midday, and evening–includes “The Prayer Appointed for the Week.” These have been adapted from The Book of Common Prayer, and even after a couple of years of using The Divine Hours, I continue to be blessed by these special prayers. Part of what makes them powerful is the repetition. We all know Jesus’ story of the persistent widow, but I suspect that few of us are truly persistent in our prayers. If I pray the hours three times a day for seven days, then I’ve prayed the week’s prayer 21 times, and that’s a lot. And even if I manage only the morning prayer (which is more typical of my experience), I have brought this prayer before God on a daily basis.

And not only does the repetition help me to be persistent before God; it helps turn my heart toward the idea, the heart, of the prayer. The first time we read a prayer–or anything else, for that matter–our focus is on getting the meaning. (That, by the way, is why your English teachers expected you to read that poem or short story more than once! It’s a challenge to get the full impact in one pass.) As I pray the prayer of the week again and again, it moves from my head–that’s a cool idea! or I like the way they worded that or even I don’t quite get it–to my heart, to Yes, Father, I desire this. I’m not just saying it, I mean it.

So, with that in mind, I’m going to post the appointed prayer each Sunday. My hope is that it’s a blessing to you; I know that it will be one more way that I can move it from my lips to my heart.

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration I may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

One final note: for those of who grew up in low-church settings, this language can seem a little overblown and maybe even a little off-putting. I needed time to get used to it myself, and I doubt I would ever speak or pen a prayer in this style. But, style aside, it’s a powerful prayer that any of us can use: help me to think right and then do right. Who can’t pray that whole-heartedly?

One more final note (really!): I love that the prayer of the week always invokes the Trinity. Even in a “Spirit-filled” church, I don’t hear much prayer that addresses the Holy Spirit or all of the Godhead. It’s good to be reminded of and to reaffirm the truth of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, “one God for ever and ever.”

This song has been on my mind for a while this morning; it’s a beautiful prayer:

Keep my heart tender before You, Lord
Able to hear Your voice and follow
Keep my heart yearning to know You more
Eager to hear Your word and obey
Keep my heart flowing in Your direction, Lord
Keep my heart, Holy Light,
So innocent and undefiled
King of Love, Lord Most High
So beautiful and bright, Morning Star
Keep my heart
(Paul Baloche, God of Wonders)

This song is from Brian Doerksen’s Today, one of those CD’s that the Spirit led me to at just the right time. It’s a beautiful, simple prayer for God to make us holy.