Many years ago I learned a prayer practice involving the alphabet: Giving thanks for a condition, person, or thing—one per letter. The alphabet works as a heuristic device, helping me to recall things I might not think of otherwise. For example, a typical alphabet prayer might conclude this way:
V — Thank You, God, for my Voice. I may use it too often (ha ha), but I’m certainly glad to have it! Plus, I love to sing. Thank You for my Voice!
W — Thank You for Winter, when we get to see the bare tree branches against the sky, have fires in the fireplace, wear jackets and scarves, celebrate Christmas! Thank you for Winter.
X — Thank You for X-ray technology. I only had to get a filling, not a root canal. Yay!
Y — Thank You for the ability to Yawn. It feels good.
Z — Thank You for helping me maintain my Zest for living.
That’s the basic alphabet gratitude prayer: giving thanks for any- and everything, serious or silly—just whatever comes to mind, A to Z. As I pray this way, I gain appreciation for the little things as well as the large (but often unnoticed) things that fill my life with blessings. Over the years I’ve adapted the practice to other forms of prayer.
Here, for example, are prayers of petition, focusing on difficult relationships:
A — Lord, help me change my Attitude toward him.
B — Bless her, Lord—and help me to mean that!
C — Conform our relationship to Your will. Help us be Charitable to one another.
And even, perhaps,
D — Deliver me, Lord. I’m about at the end of my rope.
Recently I’ve begun to praise and adore God alphabetically:
E — You, Lord, are the Eternal God. Praise You!
F — Father Almighty, great is Your Faithfulness.G — Glorious and Gracious are You, O God.
H — Hallelujah, Holy Lord!
I may intersperse these with prayers of affirmation and trust:
I — You are my Inheritance, Lord, Holy God.
J — You are my Joy, O Lord, and the lifter of my head.
K — You are my King, my Lord, and my God.
L — Your Love is everlasting. Help me walk in Your Light.
In offering spiritual direction, I’ve encouraged several people to focus on one positive quality in themselves each day (this practice is especially helpful for anyone who is depressed or self-critical):
M — I’m a loving Mother.
N — I Notice when someone seems to need help, and I do what I can.
O — I’m very Organized.
P — I’m faithful in Prayer.
Finally, I can use the alphabet as part of an examination of conscience:
Q — Did I speak when I needed to be Quiet?
R — Did I Refuse anything You were asking of me, Lord?
S — Was I Self-centered and Selfish, or did I practice a good kind of Self-love?
T — Did anyone Try my patience? How did I act? What did I say?
U — Was I Unloving to anyone today?
As you see, the alphabet can be used as a prompt for prayers of many kinds. It has helped calm me when I was fearful for a son’s safety in another country; lifted my heart with thoughts of the goodness and faithfulness of God; helped me recall the good qualities in a loved one with whom I was at odds; and blessed me in many more circumstances. My husband uses it to pray himself to sleep many nights, often including the names of friends, or places we have visited on trips, or just anything that occurs to him. He says sometimes he doesn’t even get beyond B or C. That tells me he’s really savoring each thing or person he’s recalling. We have found the alphabet prayer a wonderful way to count our blessings. I hope you will, too.
