When All You Can Pray is Help
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For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. Psalm 22:24
Sometimes, life leaves us speechless. We pray to God without grand words, eloquent requests, or answers. I’ve been there when all you can pray is help. In those moments, we may have no words—only tears. I’m sorry for your pain.
But here’s the beautiful truth — it is enough no matter how we come to God because He is enough.
In one of my darkest seasons in January 2019, I was speechless when I tried to pray. My daughter Taylor had graduated to heaven after suffering from a rare disease for twenty-two years. The weight of grief crushed me. The suffering left this shell of a momma’s heart traumatized. I couldn’t string two cohesive sentences together, much less pray. I didn’t know what to say to God.
Somehow, I mustered a whisper, “God, hold me.” That short prayer became a lifeline, anchoring me to God’s presence when I felt adrift in a sea of pain. Sometimes, I couldn’t choke out the words.
Pain is often the prompt to prioritize prayer.
When all you can pray is ‘help,’ you are asking God to do what you cannot. Circumstances sometimes leave us with the raw need for God’s intervention. In our desperation, we can choose whether to rely on our strength or the strength of the One we pray to. Desperation transforms beautifully into dependence on God.
Throughout Scripture, we find examples of simple, desperate prayers. One that stands out is Peter’s cry as he began to sink into the stormy waters: “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30, NIV). It wasn’t an elaborate plea, but it was enough. Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught Peter.
We often think we need to pray the “right” words, but God hears our heart more than our eloquence. When our spirit is too heavy for words, even a cry for help is a prayer of faith, trusting that God is there and that He cares.
There’s a sacredness in the simplicity of praying “Help.” It’s a prayer of surrender, acknowledging that we can’t do it alone. When we cry out for help, we invite God into the places where we feel most vulnerable. We admit our need for Him and trust His ability to meet us in our brokenness.
Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (NIV). When our hearts are heavy, and our words fail us, God is near. He hears, responds, and acts, often in ways we can’t fully comprehend.
If you’re in a place where all you can pray is “help,” take heart. You are not alone, and your prayer is more than enough. God doesn’t measure the worth of your prayer by its length or complexity. He sees your need, your hurt, and your faith — even in its smallest form.
Trust that when you pray “help,” you are placing yourself into the hands of the One who can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). And that is enough. Because He is enough.
Father, thank You for hearing even the simplest cries of our hearts. When life overwhelms us, help us to remember that You are near. We surrender our fears, our pain, and our needs to You today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
It’s finally HERE!
When life’s darkest moments leave you desperate, it’s easy to question whether your prayers even matter. In Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments, I want to guide you through finding hope and strength when you don’t have the words.
Learn how to release “prayer perfectionism” and embrace simple, honest conversations with God—even if all you can pray is “help.”
Discover the power of 3-word prayers that meet you right where you are.
Order now and dive into the first few chapters to find peace, hope, and a renewed connection to God.
For Deeper Study
Read and reflect on Matthew 14:22-33, the story of Peter walking on water and his desperate cry for help. How does this passage encourage you to cry out to God in your struggles?
Whether you’re walking through a difficult season or want to deepen your connection with God, which of these three-word prayers do you need today and why: “God, see me,” “God, help me,” or “God, hold me?”
