When someone prays out loud for a group of people, you never know what might happen. 

Take the case of a new pastor in town. At his first local ministerial meeting, he was asked to open with prayer. As he wrapped up, he intended to say, “And Lord, give us continued good success.” But what actually came out was, “And Lord, give us continued good sex.”

The room went silent until another minister loudly exclaimed, “Amen!” 

The room erupted in laughter. After that, the group frequently asked him to lead prayer.

Everyone had a good laugh. The pastor said after that, the group frequently asked him to lead prayer.

I’ve never made a slip quite like that, but I do remember an older gentleman at one of my churches who always began his prayers with the same six words: “Lord, we are a needy people.”

At first, I didn’t think much of it. But as the weeks and months passed and he opened every single prayer the same way, I found myself thinking (though at least I didn’t say it out loud), “Come on, Ed, you can do better than that! Maybe try to mix it up a little.”

Okay, now you’re probably thinking, “Hey Pastor, how about being a little less judgmental?” And you’d be right—but I was a lot younger then!

Eventually, though, I saw it differently. Because when you get down to it, what is prayer if not admitting that we need God’s help? That we are, indeed, a needy people.

What do we need? Plenty. And only God can truly provide it.

• We need forgiveness. Jesus taught his followers to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12).

• We need direction. Life is complicated. But Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” 

• We need comfort and encouragement. No one gets through life without hardship. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort…comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

• We need provision. Food, shelter, money—these are daily necessities. Jesus put it simply: “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

• We need protection. Satan is the enemy devoted to killing and destroying. The Bible warns in 1 Peter 5:7-8: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 

• We need wisdom. For ourselves, our families, our country-every decision we make. James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

And the list goes on.

Really, if we weren’t a needy people, why would we pray at all?

Looking back, I think Ed had it exactly right. We are a needy people. And admitting it in prayer might just be the most honest words we can say—and the best way to start.

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