I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit; you heard my plea, “Do not close your ear to my cry for help!” You came near when I called on you; you said, “Do not fear!” You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.

“Pray as you can.”

As we enter into Suicide Prevention Week, I’m struck by just how many people feel hopeless and worthless. The attacks of their enemies, often their own thoughts, have run them into a pit of despair. They are desperate and at the end…

“Pray as you can.”

The book of Lamentations finds Jeremiah in this place of hopelessness and despair. His precious city has been taken captive, his people carted off to another country, his temple destroyed, and all the precious temple items carried off. Jeremiah tried for years to warn the people of this — to turn from their sin and back to God before it was too late. Now, it’s too late.

“Pray as you can.”

In Lamentations 2:11, Jeremiah cries out to God, “My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach curls; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.” I think many of us have felt just like this — weeping, stomach churning, and sick — frozen with despair and desperation. Sitting in the middle of devastation.

“Pray as you can.”

I’m reading an amazing book called, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Stanton. Stanton takes a closer look at the discipline of prayer and what that can really look like. He says, “If you can’t pray with hope and faith, God isn’t bothered. He wants you to tell him about your doubt and disappointment. If you can’t pray in phrases of praise and adoration, don’t fake it. Pray your complaints, your anger, or your confusion.” I think Jeremiah nailed this. He didn’t wrap it all in pretty words and false assertions, “Okay God, if you think this is best, then so do I.” He was real. He was raw. He prayed as he could.

Stanton goes on to say, “And if you’re more comfortable with cynicism than innocence, unsure about your motives, afraid of silence, afraid of an answer, or pretty confident you aren’t doing it right, you’re in the perfect starting place. Pray as you can, and somewhere along the way, you will make the most important discovery of your life — the love the Father has for you.”

As Jeremiah said, “I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit; you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.”

Did Jeremiah face fear, hopelessness, depression — of course he did. But I think we can take a page from his book and do what he did — pray as you can. God wants to be in relationship with you. He longs for you to discover him and his love for you. Prayer is the avenue for this. When you are so downcast that you can’t seem to lift your head — pray as you can. Your Father is waiting.

Father, thank you for showing us what it looks like to come to you in a real and honest way. Thank you that you’re not looking for fancy words or eloquent phrases. I’m blown away by the fact that you want us in relationship with you, so you will take our words of anger of confusion of despair, and you will hold them close to your heart and weep with us. Lord help us daily to pray as we can and lead us into real discovery of you! In Jesus’ name ~ AMEN.