Wow! Oops! Thanks! Gimmie!

 Hannah W-T

“Wow, Oops, Thanks, Gimme…”

November 7, 2025

 

Hey everyone! Today I want to talk about something that can make a lot of us a little uncomfortable…prayer. If you’ve ever been asked to pray out loud and suddenly wish for the gift of invisibility, you’re not alone. It’s kind of like public speaking only this more personal.

I think part of why it feels awkward sometimes is because prayer is so personal. It’s the deepest part of who we are — our thoughts, feelings, fears, gratitude — and we’re not used to saying those things out loud in front of other people.
But here’s the truth: you don’t have to pray like a preacher or sound like King James. It is not a performance, and God is not grading grammar. He just loves hearing from His kids.

When asked by the disciples for Jesus to teach them how to pray he didn’t give them a script, instead He gave them a pattern. He said:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” …that’s adoration.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done…” …that’s surrender and trust.

“Give us this day our daily bread…” …that’s asking for what we need.

“Forgive us our trespasses…” …that’s confession and humility.

“…for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.”  …and that’s modeling thanksgiving and praise.

When I was in bible school, I learned about different prayer models that this prayer has become the foundation. So, just like we have change models like ADKAR, we have prayer models like, ACTS A.C.T.S.: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

So, I took that model and made it suit real-life language: Wow. Oops. Thanks. Gimme.

Because prayer doesn’t need to sound fancy or rehearsed…it’s just real talk with God.

• Wow: “God, You’re amazing.” If you’ve ever looked at a sunset and said, “Wow,” or felt sunshine on your face and smiled…. that’s worship…that’s adoration… see - you’re already praying.

 

• Oops: “I messed up.”  So, I will let you in on a little secret…. He already knows! We don’t confess to surprise God; we confess to reconnect with Him. He’s not mad—He’s good.

 

• Thanks: “You’ve been so good to me.” You’ve probably heard, “What if you woke up tomorrow with only what you thanked God for today?” Thankfully, that’s not how it works…but it’s a good reminder to stop and be thankful. Also, when you share thanksgiving, it helps with cognitive reframing…stopping to think of how much you have to be thankful for takes your eyes off the things you don’t have that you THINK you need.

 

• Gimme: “Here’s what I need.” Again, God already knows what we need, but He still longs to hear it from us. Remember, He has the long-term plan in mind, so if you don’t get what you think you need …. He may be planning for something better or maybe protecting you from something.

So, if you ever feel uncomfortable praying out loud remember, you’re not performing. You’re just talking to your best friend. And if you do feel like you messed it up, don’t worry the One you’re praying to loves it. And the people in the room? You’re not praying to them anyway… so who cares?

Just use this pattern “Wow God, you are so good, sorry for all the times we don’t recognize how cool you really are thank you for giving us new days and fresh starts, give us grace to get through this meeting, amen!”

So, here’s what I’d like to do….take a quiet moment. Think about each one for yourself:

• What makes you say Wow right now?

• What’s an Oops you’d like to hand to Him or maybe ask for help fixing?

• What’s something you’re Thankful for today?

• And what’s one Gimme…something on your heart you’d like to talk to Him about?

Now, I recognize we are not all on the same spiritual path so whether you take this next minute to pray or just to be mindful, take a breath, take a pause, and reflect….I will close us out in a moment….

Wow, God, You. Are. Amazing. Thank You for the beauty in the world around us and for being so patient and good to us. Even when we mess up, You never turn away…. instead, You invite us closer. Thank You for the blessings we see and the ones we miss. And Lord, give us what we need…not just what we want…but those are always appreciated as well! Give us the grace we need every day to handle our insecurities, our busyness, and our…humanness. We love You. Amen.