A Prayer To Ask God For Help

At times, we may find ourselves helpless or destitute. We may be facing certain difficulties in life during which we find ourselves not knowing what to do or incapable of doing anything. King David, whom we famously know as a man after God’s own heart, had also experienced helplessness coupled with fear, anxiety, pain, and despair. In Psalm 69:1-2, David writes:

Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.

I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

– Psalm 69:1-3 KJV

The context in which David wrote the passage is that he is facing persecution and opposition from his enemies. Not only are there physical dangers to his life, but there are also emotional pains present due to the betrayal of his close associates. So, Psalm 69 is considered a psalm of lament. David is in such great anguish that he describes it as a flood sweeping over him; he is weary in crying out, and his throat is parched.

However, in this very psalm where we find David helpless and destitute, we can see that the appropriate response whenever we find ourselves in a similar situation or feeling the same emotional anguish as David is to cry out to God and run to Him for help and deliverance. In verses 13-18, we see David seeking God in prayer, asking Him for mercies according to His steadfast love.

But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily. Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies. 

-Psalm 69:13-18 KJV

Heavenly Father, I find myself helpless, destitute, and full of anguish. I run to Your mercies. Remind me of the abundance of Your steadfast love and the goodness that You show those who fear You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The Heart Behind Asking for Help

The main passage we will use for this article is 2 Chronicles 20:1-12. The passage’s context is that the Moabites, Ammonites, and Mount Seir formed a coalition army to go to war against the kingdom of Judah, of which Jehoshaphat was the king. It was a great multitude, and that was bad news for King Jehoshaphat and the kingdom of Judah. However, it is in the response of Jehoshaphat that we have seen the posture of his heart, which is the posture of humility.

In verse 3, it is written that Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Humility can be inferred from Jehoshaphat’s response. Why? It is because instead of seeking any solution by his own means, he sought the LORD—not as a last resort but as his primary response. This is the opposite of when David made a census of Israel’s population; the LORD was not pleased because the heart behind David’s census was reliance not on God but on the number of Israel’s armies (2 Samuel 24:1 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”).

Humility is the heart behind asking for help. Romans 12:3 gives us a definition of humility, which is an honest estimation of one’s self. In the case of King Jehoshaphat, he had an honest estimation that he, or rather Judah, was incapable of facing the great multitude of armies that would come upon them. He knew he had to be humble and not look inside himself for the solution but, rather, go outside of himself and seek God. So, despite being afraid, Jehoshaphat, as the passage shows us, didn’t manage the situation on his own but sought the LORD for help.

LORD, may pride never be in my heart whenever I am in a season of despair. Help me be humble, seek You when I need help, and trust in Your steadfast love for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Why Do We Run to God for Help?

We run to God for help because He is our object of worship. The language used in the original text of the passage when it uses the word “seek” does not pertain merely to seeking but also to frequenting. So, an example of the usage of such language is that when we say we always seek the company of our friends, we mean we always frequent the company of our friends. In the passage above, we can infer that seeking God makes sense because we frequent that which we worship.

So, the answer to why we run to God for help is not just because He is the only One we depend on, but it is also because He is the One we worship. The object of our worship becomes someone we will frequent, especially when in need. No wonder we depend on God, Whom we worship because we know He is the One true God—the God of the heavens, creator of the universe, the Ancient of days that we revere. Knowing that such is the awesomeness of God compels us to frequent Him, whether in the mountains or in the dark valleys where we find ourselves helpless. (Psalm 47:2; Nehemiah 9:6; Jeremiah 32:17)

LORD of everything, You reign over the universe. You made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm. You have established Your throne in the heavens, and Your kingdom rules over all. I come to You in worship and dependence, knowing that You are sovereign over the very matters that render me helpless. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How Can We Approach God in Prayer When Asking for Help?

2 Chronicles 20:1-12 gives us a certain pattern that we can use as an approach whenever we come to God in prayer to ask for help. Below are the following points:

1. Remember what God has done.

In verse 7, it says, “Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?”

Jehoshaphat remembers God’s faithfulness and deliverance in the past and appeals to them, knowing that if God has done so in the past, God, Who is faithful, will do so again in the present.

2. Pray what God can do.

Verse 6 provides, “O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?”

Going back and meditating on Who God is reminds us of what He can do. If God is able to create the heavens and the earth, rule over everything, and have power that nothing can withstand, how much more will He help you in your current situation?

3. Acknowledge what we cannot do.

The scripture presents in verse 12, “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.”

This is where humility comes in, the acknowledgment that we need help. So, it is the very reason we remember what God has done in the past and what God can do, and we seek Him for help. Below is an example of such a prayer:

Father in heaven, I am in despair and need of Your help. I am in a season of emotional pain and anguish that feels like drowning. LORD, you have sustained me in the past years when I have experienced this. You are the God Who supplies my needs and Whose mercies are new every morning. Without Your help and grace to pull me through, I don’t know how I would be able to face each day. LORD, I cry out to You. Give me the grace and mercy that I need day by day. Thank You because You are faithful and always sustain me throughout. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

As we come to God to seek His help, yes, He is someone we revere as the Almighty God Who rules over everything. But He is also our heavenly Father. In Christ, we have the confidence to ask Him for grace and mercy in times of need (Hebrews 4:16  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.). Such is the privilege of those in Christ. Even if one is poor in spirit, they become an heir and child of God in Christ who is adopted into God’s family (Matthew 5:3; John 1:12; Romans 8:17