“Help me, help me, help me,” and “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” According to Anne Lamott in her book, Traveling Mercies, these are the two best prayers she knows. I don’t know about you, but this gives me a wonderful picture of our Savior: he wants us to invite him into our lives. We can see throughout Scripture that he doesn’t need us to perform great acts or to somehow earn his love or involvement; he just wants us (John 3:16). He wants our hearts (Matthew 22:37). He wants us to invite him in (Revelation 3:20). To thank him for the wonderful things in our lives (1 Thessolonians 5:18), and to ask for his help when we’re struggling (Hebrews 4:15-16).

When you don’t know what to say

Sometimes, it’s only those simple little prayers—“Help me, help me” or “Thank you, thank you”—that our hearts are able to utter. When we’re stuck between the pain of loss or the heavy burden of sickness, guilt, or shame, it may be all we can do to lift our heads up to our maker, let alone pour out our hearts to him.  

During our journey to become parents, my husband and I experienced five miscarriages. I can say, hands down, that those five separate days were the worst days of my life. I found myself in such a deep pit of despair that it was sometimes hard to breathe, let alone pray. But even in the midst of it, by no doing of my own, I could see God’s goodness at work through it all.

Our time walking in the valleys of life, when we carry tiresome and heavy burdens, gives us the opportunity to see who’s really in charge. We get to see how he never leaves us…even when we don’t have the energy, or the desire, to pray in the fashion we normally would. I know for me, especially now as I look back and reflect, my faith grew in those dark days. But not because I did anything special. I felt like I was barely surviving. It was because God never left me. He carried me through, even when I didn’t have any words.

Looking to Scripture for guidance

I recently heard someone say that on this side of heaven, this life on Earth, is our only opportunity to bring our hurts to Jesus. In our eternal home with Christ, we won’t have pain, heartache, or loss. Perhaps in this season of hardship, all you can do is say “Thank you, thank you, thank you”, or “Help me, help me, help me.” And that’s okay.

I used to wonder if it was okay to come to God with my broken heart or disappointment. Aren’t we only supposed to worship and adore the Creator of the world? But over and over in Scripture, we see God’s people expressing their full range of emotions to him (just take a peek at Job). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus cried out, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus was fully God and fully human; he experienced the full spectrum of emotions that we do. He knows how we feel, and he alone can bring us true comfort. God created us with all of our emotions; he wants us to bring them before him. It was only being able to cry out to him in my deepest pain that helped me feel like I wasn’t alone. He was with me in my pain. 

When we need something deeper, when we need help finding the right words, we can look to the Psalms. There, especially in the Psalms of David, we see every human emotion on display, being brought before the throne of God. To start, here are three great Psalms that show us how good our God is willing to go with us in our emotions as human beings, starting with Psalm 27—my go-to psalm when my heart is broken (this page in my Bible has soaked up many tears). I’ve also found great comfort in Psalm 23: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” (v.6) and Psalm 91: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge” (v.4).

Wherever you find your heart today, Jesus is right there with you. He’s not waiting for you to say the perfect words to act on your behalf; he just wants your heart. All you have to do is show up in prayer; no words needed. He’s waiting for you.

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Lauren Kleyer is a writer and mom of three from N’West Iowa. When she’s not busy loving on her children, her cup is filled by writing about God’s goodness in her life.