Prayer: Eloquent and maybe not so eloquent.
January 27, 2012This week a co-worker sent me a video. I don’t think he was intending to prompt theological reflection in me. But it’s Prayer Month, so what else was I gonna do?
Before I link to said video, two introductory notes:
- It has lots and lots of explicit language. Be forewarned if you are offended by that sort of thing.
- Chances are good you’ve seen it already. It had 9,257,613 views on YouTube at last count. (It was quite the phenom in 2010. By blogging about it now, I am demonstrating that I am not hip.)
Okay, here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-agl0pOQfs
Now, before I get to why I’ve gone all Juggalo, one more disclaimer:
Be it known I am not about to claim “Miracles” is a misunderstood masterpiece. No. It’s bad. The song, the video, everything about it. Half-articulated reflections on the unfathomable mystery of the cosmos are followed by an anecdote about a pelican’s attempted cell phone larceny. Small children are wearing killer clown makeup. For that matter, grown men are wearing killer clown makeup. Let’s keep some perspective.
All that said–to me “Miracles” may be the truest, rawest exemplar of a principle of our interactions with God that may not get enough attention:
All of our prayers are ridiculous. All of them.
Can it be anything but insanely incomprehensible that love has opened up lines of communication between us and the One who is responsible for every atom in the universe, the One who says, “You can call me Dad”? Won’t all human language break down when it dares to approach?
Abraham knew this when he sidled up to God to do some negotiating about the whole Sodom business–Look at me even having this conversation, he said. I’m dust and ashes!
O Lord of the Starfields, if ever, ever I make the mistake of thinking I’m being eloquent when I praise You or petition You or thank You or argue with You, let me say instead:
Stop and look around, it’s all astounding
Water, fire, air and dirt
$%&#ing magnets, how do they work?