--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason 'help' is such a great prayer…" description: "\"The reason 'help' is such a great prayer is that God is the gift of desperation. When you're in despair, you're teachable.\" — Anne Lamott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/anne-lamott-188_despair_the-reason-help-is-such-a-great-prayer-i_1729491.png" --- # The reason 'help' is such a great prayer is that God is… ![“The reason 'help' is such a great prayer is that God is the gift of desperation. When you're in despair, you're teachable.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/anne-lamott-188_despair_the-reason-help-is-such-a-great-prayer-i_1729491.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/anne-lamott-188_despair_the-reason-help-is-such-a-great-prayer-i_1729491.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/anne-lamott-188_despair_the-reason-help-is-such-a-great-prayer-i_1729491.png) > “The reason 'help' is such a great prayer is that God is the gift of desperation. When you're in despair, you're teachable.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When we are desperate, we become open to divine help and learning. **In simple terms:** Despair opens us to God's help. Key Takeaway Embrace vulnerability to receive guidance. Themes faith despair learning Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational spiritual When to use this quote - personal crisis - seeking guidance - spiritual practice Key Concepts spirituality humility growth Questions to Reflect On - How does desperation change your openness to help? - What role does faith play in your lowest moments? A Different Perspective Despair can also lead to hopelessness if not balanced with hope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Despair Teachable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair-teachable-1416763/) [Desperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperation/) [Great Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-prayer-1416762/) [Help Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-great-588581/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prayer God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-god/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Teachable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachable/) ## Related quotes > [“I have no need to be considered a great prayer warrior. I’m not looking for wonderful stories to tell others as a testimony to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-smith/i-have-no-need-to-be-considered-a-great-prayer-warrior-i-m-not/) [Scotty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-smith/) > [Leaders must be released from the idea that they must be great prayer warriors before they can begin to call others to prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bryant/leaders-must-be-released-from-the-idea-that-they-must-be-great-prayer/) [David Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bryant/) > [“personally. I don’t need any more of your “help”, so have yourself a great day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rimmer/personally-i-don-t-need-any-more-of-your-help-so-have-yourself-a/) [Kelly Rimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rimmer/) > [Lord, help me to do great things as though they were little, since I do them with your power; And little things as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/lord-help-me-to-do-great-things-as-though-they-were-little-since-i-do/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-you-were-successful-somebody-along-the-line-gave-you-some-help/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“I know that we came to this life with a purpose and that the greatest joy we will receive will be those acts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/i-know-that-we-came-to-this-life-with-a-purpose-and-that-the-greatest/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [I will do everything I can in future to help this great country succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/i-will-do-everything-i-can-in-future-to-help-this-great-country/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [“Buy it for anyone you know who cries in the shower, who drinks in the morning, whose life only has meaning when they’re asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/buy-it-for-anyone-you-know-who-cries-in-the-shower-who-drinks-in-the/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [A nun I know once told me she kept begging God to take her character defects away from her. 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They not only entertain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drexel-deal/story-telling-or-teachable-moments-provides-us-with-a-vast-reference/) [Drexel Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drexel-deal/) > [Discipline and diligence are up there on the list, but one of the most important qualities of many really successful people is humility. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-blackledge/discipline-and-diligence-are-up-there-on-the-list-but-one-of-the-most/) [Todd Blackledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-blackledge/) > [“My priority is not about grades. I seek yearn for knowledge, skills and wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/my-priority-is-not-about-grades-i-seek-yearn-for-knowledge-skills-and/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“We are most teachable during the hard times in our lives. Hard times make us open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swan-huntley/we-are-most-teachable-during-the-hard-times-in-our-lives-hard-times/) [Swan Huntley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swan-huntley/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. 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What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Despair quotes > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-abbott/she-searched-her-mind-for-a-single-day-when-it-had-felt-good-to-be/) [Rachel Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-abbott/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Your spirit is the part of you that seeks meaning and purpose. It's the part drawn to hope, that will not give in to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/your-spirit-is-the-part-of-you-that-seeks-meaning-and-purpose-it-s/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The skin and shell of things Though fair are not Thy wish nor prayer but got My meer despair of wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-vaughan/the-skin-and-shell-of-things-though-fair-are-not-thy-wish-nor-prayer/) [Henry Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-vaughan/) > [“A fine setting for a fit of despair,” it occurred to him, “if I were only standing here by accident instead of design.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/a-fine-setting-for-a-fit-of-despair-it-occurred-to-him-if-i-were-only/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Enough for this bow & arrow. It caused me nothing but sorrow. No need for another tomorrow. In your heart, I will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/enough-for-this-bow-arrow-it-caused-me-nothing-but-sorrow-no-need-for/) [Louaiq8](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louaiq8/) > [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/true-repentance-never-leads-to-despair-its-leads-home-it-leads-to/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Do not consider despair as a thick and high wall standing on your way; it is just a darkness and you can still walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/do-not-consider-despair-as-a-thick-and-high-wall-standing-on-your-way/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim. 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Feed a man, clothe him, put him in a good house,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-noticed-that-there-is-no-dissatisfaction-like-that-of-the-rich/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) [Browse all 3,181 Despair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reason 'help' is such a great prayer is that God is the gift of desperation. 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