Simple Prayers - Help Me

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

In this Lenten message, we reflect on one of the simplest prayers in all of Scripture: “Help me.” It is a prayer found throughout the Psalms and echoed in Peter’s cry as he began to sink beneath the waves: “Lord, save me!”

The sermon reminds us that “help me” is not a weak prayer. It is a prayer grounded in faith and filled with hope. Even if that faith is no larger than a mustard seed, even if hope feels like a faint whisper, the cry itself reveals trust that God hears, cares, and can act.

The Psalms give language to both confidence and frustration. They show us that crying out for help can sometimes feel like shouting into silence. Yet again and again, the psalmists turn toward trust, believing that at the acceptable time, God will answer with faithful help.

The message also points to Jesus — the One who walked the path of distress all the way to the cross, who cried out from Psalm 22, and who understands the cords of death and the weight of despair. Because of who Christ is and what Christ has done, we believe he is always there — in confusion, in waiting, in distress.

Sometimes we do not have long, polished prayers. Sometimes all we can say is “Help me.” And in those two words is contained trust, hope, Scripture, testimony, and faith.

And sometimes, that is enough.