Two-word Prayers

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.

Psalm 107:13–14 nlt

Pause

Crisis can drop us to our knees. We know that prayer is important, but sometimes it’s hard to string two words together coherently, let alone an entire sentence. How can we pray effectively if we can’t even think straight?

The writer of Psalm 107 describes several scenarios where people find themselves at wit’s end. Some land there due to circumstances beyond their control. Some fall into dire straits due to their own poor judgment. Regardless, they’re all in desperate need of divine intervention, and they all pray desperate prayers. Those prayers are neither lengthy nor eloquent, but they come from the heart. And they’re short. Two words, to be exact: “Lord, help!”

The length and eloquence of our prayers has no bearing on God’s ability to hear them or his willingness to answer. He knows our heart and hears the words we can’t express. Two-word prayers spoken in sincerity catch his attention and draw his help.

Ponder

How does knowing that God hears the words you can’t express bring hope?

Pray

Dear Father, thank you for hearing my simple, desperate cries.