Write About Now

Today I read an article which said Psalm 88 is the only psalm that ends without some sense of praise or hope in God. According to the author, all 149 others end with thanks, a pledge to follow God more closely, a reaffirmation of his goodness, or something similar.

The article focused on praying the psalms responsively, but I don’t remember much after that note about #88. Instead, my thoughts immediately went to that other tool for prayer, the “ACTS” acronym. Although the model of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication is based on the Lord’s Prayer, and although it has been a helpful technique for generations of pray-ers, I sometimes struggle with it. Starting off with adoration is unquestionably appropriate when addressing God, but in my immaturity I often want to just get on with the good stuff—namely, my requests. (Admit it, you can relate.) Knowing my own heart in this way, it can seem somewhat…..manipulative?…..dishonest?…pouring on the praise first like a kid buttering up her dad before asking for the car keys.

Instead, I find myself approaching prayer full of my own hopes and plans and accumulated feelings which crowd out thoughts of God. Only after I get them all out there, admit it all, and acknowledge he can handle it without my help, then—with a less-distracted heart—I can authentically meditate on his goodness.

Although this approach works for me, I always felt vaguely guilty because it seemed more spiritual—if less honest—to begin with God. But if the psalms teach nothing else, they show us God encourages and accepts honesty. And the psalmists, like me, often needed to get the “me” stuff out of the way first.

Some start by proclaiming God’s goodness, others don’t, and some just jump right in with “Please, God, do this!” Regardless of how self-centered they begin, they almost always end God-centered, which is ultimately the point. I will still begin some prayers with adoration, of course, but I appreciated today’s reminder that it’s not a mandate. The Psalms give me permission to pray personally to a personal God. It’s more of a SCAT method, actually, but it’s a model I can follow.