Table of Contents
Copyright 2020
Published by WELLSPRING
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The quotes in this book have been drawn from dozens of sources. They are assumed to be accurate as quoted in their previously published forms. Although every effort has been made to verify the quotes and sources, the Publisher cannot guarantee their perfect accuracy.
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ISBN: 978-1-63582-157-4 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-63582-158-1 (e-Book)
10987654321
Printed in the United States of America
When Words Fail You
I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU. The book you have in your hands will change your life. If you let it. How can I be so sure? It changed my lifeand I have recommended it to so many other people who have also had their lives transformed by it.
But first, let me provide some context and backstory.
My father died of cancer when I was thirty, and eighteen months later, my eldest brother Mark was killed in a car accident. When my father died, I was sad, but he had lived an amazing life. When my brother died, I felt like he had been ripped from a life half-lived. His daughters were too young to lose their father, his brothers were too young to lose their eldest brother. And the compounding effect of losing them both in such a short period of time knocked me off balance. The sadness sunk in, and some days it just seemed to get deeper and deeper.
At my annual physical with my doctor he asked me how I was doing, and I told him I was struggling. He suggested I see a therapist. Like millions of people, I had a stigma against therapy. Australia isnt exactly a haven of therapeutic embrace. Most Australians idea of therapy is, Have another beer mate and everything will be fine. Nonetheless, I overcame the stigma and went to see the therapist my doctor had suggested.
It was good for me. It was healthy just to talk through some things with someone who had no agenda for my life. One of the most profound and practical things the therapist said to me was, When words fail you, let them. I am a wordsmith by trade, so it doesnt seem right to let words fail me. I have spent so much of my life looking for the right words. Failing to find the right words didnt sit well with me, so this was a particularly difficult lesson for me. But over time as I observed myself and others, I realize how profound her advice was.
Over the years, I have realized that there are no words for some situations. It wouldnt matter if you were Shakespeare or Wordsworth, Shelley or Byron, there are simply no words to comfort a mother who has lost her child. This is just one of many situations that leave us speechless for a reason. They leave us speechless because these moments are not the right time or place for words. In these moments all we can do is be with each other or give grief its space. All we can do is honor the wishes of the one who is suffering and be with them or not (according to their need and preference).
The other situation where words fail me more often than I would like is in prayer. Here, I have learned many lessons. Sometimes when words fail us in prayer it is because God simply wants us to be still and quiet and be with him. At other times, when words fail us in prayer it can be because we are anxious, busy, and distracted with the things of this world. At these times it can help to use someone elses words. I have heard of writers experiencing writers block who would use the opening lines or paragraphs of another writers work to get them started. Other peoples prayers can be very powerful in getting our own conversation started with God also.
For years when words failed me in prayer, I turned to Psalm 23. It never let me down. I can pray it over and over again, it never gets old, never loses its meaning, often brings me to tears, and always restores my faith, hope, courage, and love.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want;
he lets me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his names sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will not be afraid; for the Lord is at my side;
his rod and his staff, they comfort and protect me.
He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies;
He anoints my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and
I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
During one of the most difficult times in my life I discovered Jane Trufant Harvey and this book, Ask Him. It has never been far from me since.
One of the most difficult things in this life is to learn how to speak to God as a friend. There is genius in these pages, because with each page, Jane prompts us to have a conversation with God.
Who is guiding your life? How is that working out for you? Is it time for a change? Are you ready to allow God to guide you in all things? Ask Him!
Allow God to surprise you, to sweep you away, to show you what it means to be deliriously happy, to teach you to dance for joy. Until we do, I am not sure we have really lived at all. To live this life and not to explore the spiritual life deeply would be a tragedy.
Ask Him!
- MATTHEW KELLY
Contents
Ask Him...
to surround you with
His protection and peace.
Ask Him...
to remind you when
you are feeling unworthy,
that you are perfect in His eyes.
Ask Him...
to bless your eyes so that
you see the goodness in people,
especially when it is so easy to find fault.
Ask Him...
to forgive you when
your humanness overrides your faith.
Ask Him...
to let the Holy Spirit inspire
a sense of peace, joy, and hope that
is reflected in everything you do.
Ask Him...
to help you remember that feeling
cherished is something you not only
deserve but what He desires for you.
Ask Him...
to bring restoration to your broken
relationships, according to His will.
Ask Him...
to remind you that prayer
will sustain you through the
most difficult times in your life.
Ask Him...
to constantly remind you that life is
