Lord, Save Me! Prayers and Encouragement when Life Feels Hard

Lisa Henley Jones reviews Gary Zimak’s book of prayer and encouragement. Pick it up when you feel like crying out in times of difficulty. 

Lord, Save Me! Prayers and Encouragement when Life Feels Hard

By Gary Zimak

Published by Ave Maria Press

We moms worry a lot. And I am no different. Many times, during my years of parenting, I became discouraged because so many things seemed hard. While there isn’t a parenting handbook to tell us definitively what to do in difficult times, as Catholics, we know the answer is to turn to God for help. But we can easily lose sight of Jesus when we are in the middle of a storm.

Lord, Save Me! Prayers and Encouragement when Life Feels Hard by Gary Zimak is not specifically written for Catholic moms, but it might have well been. As we begin our families, grow in parenting, and eventually our nests empty, we experience many of the topics addressed in the book. Fear, loneliness, suffering, overwhelm, discouragement: These are all situations we face as mothers at some point in our parenting journey.

This short book offers prayers and encouragement in Christ for ten common situations that often cause worry. I picked up this book to read because I’ve realized I could use assistance when my life feels out of control or I’m in the middle of overwhelm. Having read several of the author’s previous books, I know his writing is direct, encouraging, and always focused on bringing Christ’s hope to people caught in the grip of anxiety and worry. The tone of his books is always welcoming and helpful.

Lord, Save Me! is presented in short chapters, with each chapter focusing on a different type of worry or concern you might be facing. Examples include fear, loneliness, suffering, overwhelm, and discouragement. Each chapter provides multiple Scripture verses, short reflections, and simple prayers to lean on when you find yourself surrounded by a storm in life.

Not only does the book encourage you when life is hard, but through Scripture and 120 original prayers, it pulls you into a deeper relationship of trust with the Lord.

Since there are multiple Scripture verses provided per worry topic, I know I can find at least one that speaks to me in the moment. And I recognize that as life progresses and seasons change, what resonates with me might also change. With different verses per chapter, I can go back and find one that speaks to me at a different time in my life.

This is a book you can keep and come back to again and again as your seasons in life change. I wish I’d had this book to read when I was a mom of little children, but I find it invaluable now as a mother of young adults.

My sister, Shelly Kelly, and I had the privilege of interviewing the author, Gary Zimak, on our podcast, Of Sound Mind and Spirit, about this book, Lord, Save Me! In our discussion, Gary shared the reason he wrote this book, his hope for readers, and his own experience with worry and prayer. You can listen to the episode to discover more about this book, as well as be inspired by Gary’s “three-word prayer” that could change everything.

Visit the Of Sound Mind and Spirit podcast website to listen or watch this episode with author Gary Zimak discussing his book, Lord, Save Me.

Lord, Save Me! is a good gift for anyone in your life who would like encouragement in prayer during hard times. And don’t forget it as a gift to yourself for when you are in the midst of a storm and need to cry out, “Lord, save me,” just as Saint Peter did.

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