Opinion : The Prayer of Mike: 10 words of wisdom from an Iowa farmer

Every so often, a new prayer craze catches on among American Christians. Someone writes about a new or newly re-discovered way to find God, or at least talk to him.

Soon, a cultural phenomenon is born. The author becomes famous. The book becomes a series. Christians all over the world rush to book stores, gather around the radio or TV, or flock to seminars to understand more about this new prayer they should learn to pray, while paying a considerable sum to the author.

The prayer on my mind today should have that same impact on Christians, although it's simple enough that they should be able to read it and put it into practice without heading to some three-day retreat. 

And it won’t cost anyone a cent.

Although the words of this prayer do not directly come from the Bible, they express a truth that is mentioned multiple times in the Holy Book.

That prayer came from the mouth of a friend, an Iowa farmer who also does a lot of work with wood. Mike has created the cabinets for his house, countless cedar chests and even the offering plates for his church.

Mike knows more about using tools than most people – and, needless to say, way more than I do.

That's why Mike's prayer instantly became engraved in my mind the Saturday I heard it.

I was helping – or rather, attempting to learn how to help – a group of men who were finishing the basement area of a new church building. Mike was among them.

I volunteered for this project not because I thought I would be much help, but because the old house where my grandfather lived was in desperate need of repairs and I was the only person available to do them. My goal was to learnwhat I was supposed to do from guys like Mike.

We worked a few hours that morning, then took a break for lunch. After saying a blessing over the food and the hands which had prepared it, Mike added a 10-word prayer concerning the project that I will always remember:

"Lord, make us better at this than we really are."

I am not sure Mike remembers praying those words. I’ve been trying to tell him I have never forgotten them.

First, know your need

In the spring of 1953 – after four straight World Championships with the New York Yankees – something that manager Casey Stengel saw in his team of superstars inspired one of his most startling Stengeilisms.

Sensing that the team, despite its successes, needed to focus on areas of improvement, Stengel said: "If we're going to win the pennant, we've got to start thinking we're not as smart as we think we are."

What he was saying in his well-known way with words was that his superstar players needed to realize that even four-time champions have room for improvement.

Imagine the manager of Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizutto, and Hank Bauer telling them that they ain’t as smart as they claim to be. That’s what Stengel said, in his own unique way.
Baseball history does not tell us whether or not Stengel appealed to God, like Mike did.

But knowing that no matter how successful we have been, we need help, is a great place to start. Stengel was smart enough to know that even with four consecutive World Series championships, there is room for improvement; he knew the challenges of the 1953 season would demand even more from his players and his team.

Mike, a long-time youth leader and Sunday school teacher, has read about other guys who have built important things while asking God for help. The Bible is full of stories about people like that. Mike never said so, at least not to me, but you can bet that he's prayed a prayer like that countless times in his workshop.

Perhaps, when Mike prayed, he was thinking of Bezaleel, the man who helped Moses build the first tabernacle. Moses said to the Children of Israel: God had chosen this guy, and has taught him how to do this work, and how to teach others to do it (Exodus Chapter 35).

There's nothing new or unusual about a Biblical character asking for, or receiving help, from God. The Bible records dozens of instances of people receiving specific help from God for a specific reason. But Bezaleel's story shows us how God even helps men to do things as simple as swing a hammer or engrave a stone.

Mike's prayer that day taught me, in 10 words, that God can and will help those who ask him.

Sure, most Christians believe that God does the big things: Creation, forming and protecting nations, bringing babies safely into the world.

But Mike’s prayer acknowledges God’s desire and ability to help the man who swings a hammer, carves words in stone, or writes a book.

Two guys who knew well the story of Bezaleel were Kings David and Solomon, who like Moses, they built a house of worship and needed to look for men whom God would help.

In the collection of Psalms (Chapter 120 through 134) called the Songs of Degrees of Songs of Ascent. These are all dedicated to the temple that David planned and Solomon built. In the middle of that section is this statement from Psalm 127: “Unless The Lord builds the house, the worker is wasting his time.”

Solomon took that statement a bit farther in Proverbs 3:6: “In everything you do, acknowledge The Lord, and he will lead you in the best way.”

“In everything,” wrote Solomon, let God lead you: In every project. In every opportunity. In every problem. In every conflict. In every situation that may pose some sort of temptation. And in every situation that comes along that does not immediately or clearly identify itself as any of the above. In all of these, look for God’s help – and try to do things His way.

Do that, and you will see that what you have done turned out better – better than you had expected, and better than it would have if you had tried to do it on your own.

That’s what Mike’s simple, sincere prayer has to teach anyone willing to listen to those 10 simple, powerful words.

What is the result when people pray, with sincere hearts, The Prayer of Mike? 

The church basement is done. It looks great. The only people who can tell it was not finished by a professional crew are we amateurs who helped do the work and who can point out our mistakes.

The ‘53 Yankees won it all – again. They won 39 of their first 50 games and defeated Brooklynin the World Series. No manager has equaled Casey Stengel’s feat in the past 49 years; nobody else has led his team to five straight World Series championships.

Mike recently is working on building his house, now building its cabinets himself.

Me, I am trying to keep Mike’s prayer in mind. And when I look at the areas completed on that old house, I can clearly see that hands better than mine were at work. And if you find the book currently in your hand worth reading, well, this too is a project for which I have said many times, “Lord make me better at this than I really am.”

Editor's Note: This column is part of Dean's first E-book, "Turtle Soup for the Vegan Soul," available now at  Amazon.