God, sometimes my prayers are simply, “Help me.” You tell me You are my Helper, in the person of the Holy Spirit. What a gift of Your grace to me! I come to You now, so weak and needing Your help.
Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;
stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art,
and make me love thee as I ought to love.
(“Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart,” Croly, G., 1854)
Help me remember You are always within me, as my Helper
Jesus told His disciples:
As I suffer, this is true for me as Your child. Help me remember and believe Your true Word in moments of fear, loneliness, heavy emotion, or even numbness.
I believe; help my unbelief! (Mk. 9:24 ESV).
I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
no sudden rending of the veil of clay,
no angel visitant, no op’ning skies;
but take the dimness of my soul away.
Help me remember that Jesus understands my need
Your Word tells me Jesus sang and He often quoted the Psalms. Could Jesus have sung this Psalm’s lyrics before He bore my punishment on the cross? You were His Helper too.
Help me remember that, as a man, Jesus suffered temptations and trials in this fallen world of sin too, yet He lived a totally sinless life. He endured far, far worse than I could ever experience.
And now?
You are on my side because of Jesus. It comforts me to know: “He is able to help those who are being tempted” as I endure trials (Heb. 2:18 ESV).
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Ps. 23:4 ESV).
For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too (2 Cor. 1:5 ESV).
Hast thou not bid us love thee, God and King?
All, all thine own, soul, heart, and strength and mind.
I see the cross– there teach my heart to cling:
O let me seek thee, and O let me find.
Illuminate Your Word as I suffer
Holy Spirit, please protect and guide my thoughts. Convict, teach, refresh, and lead me when I forget what is true. Please help me remember Your Word (Jn. 14:26). Oh Lord, thank You for Your Word!
According to Isaiah 51, it’s in the “waste places,” “wilderness,” “devastation and destruction, famine and sword” that we forget. It’s when we’re “bowed down,” poured out, feeling afraid of others or what’s happening to us.
It’s in affliction that You comfort and help us. You knew we would face all kinds of trials and that we would need Your help by Your Word. Please illuminate the Scriptures that You alone know I need to walk in Your way as I suffer today. Teach me as I continue to seek You for help and comfort. I rest in Your Word today.
Teach me to feel that thou art always nigh;
teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
I, I am he who comforts you…I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand” (Is. 51:12, 16 ESV).
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Cor. 1:3-4 ESV).
I praise You, my Helper and Comforter. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen and amen.
Material adapted from Near to God: A Devotional Bible Study of God’s Character in Our Suffering, Lauri A. Hogle. Copyright © 2022
Praying for God’s help and comfort in song
In my suffering back in the 90’s, I often scrawled a simple “help me” in my prayer journals. It’s been hard to go back and read my prayers from that time. Near the end, just prior to my brain surgery, “Help me, Lord” is all that’s there. Through God’s help of Bible teachers, I’ve since learned that this is a faith-full prayer of trust. It’s acknowledging that God is capable of helping us. In seeking His comfort, we’re saying we trust Him, in our utter dependence on His help.
In my latest round of suffering, I’ve been making YouTube playlists with lyrics to sing prayers to Him, to praise Him for what is true according to His Word. Sometimes it’s just too hard to read anything, so I need to hear and sing truths of His Word to Him and to my heart.
This week, the playlist asks God for help. It praises our Helper and Comforter, because of what He’s done for us in Jesus. Many of the songs sing actual Scripture, helping me internalize it.
These professionally curated playlists aren’t just for me. They’re for any sister in Christ who is also suffering today. If you would like my weekly playlist gifts and a sister to walk alongside you in prayer, I pray our Helper will bring you much comfort as you also sing-pray to Him in your time of hardship. If you’d like them, just sign up here and they will come to your email.
