Famous examples of the four types of prayers

By Rabbi Marc Gellman, Tribune Content Agency on Nov 30, 2017

And grace will bring me home

When we've been there a thousand years

Bright shining as the sun

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we first begun."

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-- A good Wow! prayer:

Thanks and Wow! prayers are almost the same but they are really different. Thanks prayers are between you and God. Wow! prayers are between the world and God. Wow! is bigger than Thanks.

Here is great Wow! prayer that became a great Wow! hymn. It is a Wow! prayer about the harvest and about how wondrous and how wonderful it is that God feeds us through the earth:

"Come Ye thankful people come;

Raise the song of harvest home,

All is safely gathered in

Ere the winter storms begin.

God, our maker does provide

For our wants to be supplied.

Come to God's own temple, come,

Raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God's own field,

Fruit unto his praise to yield.

Wheat and tares together sown,

Unto joy or sorrow grown.

First the blade, and then the ear,

Then the full corn shall appear.

Lord of harvest, grant that we

Wholesome grain and pure may be.

Even so, Lord, quickly come

To your final harvest home

Gather all your people in,

Free from sorrow, free from sin.

There, forever purified,

In your garner to abide

Come, with all your angels, come,

Raise the glorious harvest home!"

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So there you have examples of four good Thanks, Gimmie Oops and Wow! prayers. Let me know your additions. I am still considering adding "Why?" prayers to the list based upon your kind comments. One of you suggested adding "Silent prayers." I have nothing to say about that.

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including "Religion for Dummies," co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman.)