I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him. – Psalm 40:1-3

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD: “LORD, save me!” The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. – Psalm 116:1-5

You’ve come here because you need help.

Who doesn’t? You know you can’t make it on your own. None of us can. The good news is that there is a lifeline. We can speak simple, heartfelt words to our Creator and know that He actually listens to us and will respond. Prayer is not a religious formula. You don’t have to say just the right words or repeat it a certain number of times. That is how people pray when they don’t know their Heavenly Father (Matthew 6:7-8).

Prayer is an honest conversation with God, and you can have confidence that He loves you and that He cares about you.

Even the smallest details of our lives matter to Him. And the power of prayer is that He’s at the other end of the conversation. Imagine the difference between talking to your best friend and someone you’ve never met. With your best friend, you can be yourself because that person already knows you and has accepted you for who you are. Everything changes when we realize who is hearing our voice.

We can trust what God is actually like because of Jesus.

He came from the Father and became a man so that we could be restored to relationship with God. When Jesus was on the earth, people didn’t just come to hear Him teach. They came to Him because they needed help. They were real, broken people who needed a Savior — just like us. They brought real, hard things of life to Him. When people were sick, they came to Jesus. When people were grieving, they came to Jesus. When people were hungry and in need, they came to Jesus. When people were sinful and in need of mercy, they came to Jesus. When people were tormented and confused, they came to Jesus. And He never turned anyone away!

In fact, here are four stories that show us just how much Jesus wanted to help. This is how we know that prayer is a God-given lifeline.

Luke 7:36-50 – In this story, a sinful woman (probably a prostitute) approaches Jesus at a religious leader’s dinner. She washes Jesus’ feet and worships Him as Lord. The leaders are indignant, but Jesus does not rebuke the woman for her demonstration of remorse. Instead, He offers her forgiveness and kindness, and rebukes the leaders for their hard and unforgiving hearts.

John 11:17-45 – Jesus wept with his friends. Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus had died. Jesus felt their pain and cried with them over their loss. But that’s not where this story ends. Jesus revealed that He is the resurrection and the life. He gave this family a gift they would never forget.

Mark 5:21-43 – Jesus’ heals two people in this story. On His way to heal a sick girl, a woman with an issue of blood stops Jesus and experiences powerful healing from a sickness she’d had for years.

Mark 6:33-44 – Thousands of people followed Jesus during His earthly ministry. This day He taught the people for hours on end. They were in the middle of nowhere, and the people were hungry and without food. Jesus makes a meal out of thin air and satisfies both their physical and spiritual hunger.

Real Stories: Real Answers to Prayer

These stories are meant to give you confidence that God wants to meet you with whatever you’re facing right now. He is full of compassion and power. Sometimes God doesn’t respond in the way that we think He will, or in the timeframe we think He should, but He will never ignore an honest cry for help. The Bible is full of stories of people who asked God for help and found that He answered in amazing ways! This is an invitation for you to start your own conversation. Begin a dialogue with your Father in Heaven, and soon you will begin to see your own testimony that “He rescued me because He delights in me,” (Psalm 18:19).

Do you want to ask Jesus about specific needs in your life? Do you need help learning how to pray? Visit, HeHearsUs.org for a sampling of prayers to pray.