Morning Prayer: Lord, Make Haste to Help Me
From Morning Prayer: O Lord, make haste to help me.
“O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.” The Liturgy of the Hours begins with this plea every single time — Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer. The Church teaches us to start not with competence, but with need.
And yet, anyone who has lived even a little knows: God does not always make haste.
Tolstoy captured this with his quiet, devastating line: “God sees the truth, but waits.” (Bog pravdu vidit, no ne srazu skazhet.)
We know this in our bones. We pray urgently, and heaven seems to move at a glacial pace. We ask for clarity, and receive silence. We beg for healing, and time stretches out like an unanswered question.
So why keep saying it? Why keep asking God to hurry when God rarely seems to?
1. Because the prayer is about our posture, not God’s speed
The ancient monks said this verse was the perfect summary of the spiritual life:
I need help.
I cannot save myself.
I turn toward the One who can.
The repetition is not magical thinking. It is training the heart in humility and dependence.
2. Because “haste” is our language, not God’s
We feel urgency. God feels eternity.
Homilies on this verse often point out that when we say “make haste,” we are naming our experience — not dictating God’s schedule. We are saying: “I am overwhelmed. I am small. I am afraid. Come quickly because I cannot hold this alone.”
It is the cry of a child, not the command of a general.
3. Because sometimes the haste we want would harm us
A few preachers put it bluntly: If God answered every prayer immediately, we would be ruined.
We would never grow patience, courage, discernment, or trust. We would never learn to walk in the dark. We would never discover that God is present even when God is not obvious.
“Haste makes waste” is not a biblical proverb, but it is spiritually true: Some graces require slow cooking.
4. Because waiting is part of the Christian story
Holy Saturday is the day God “waited” in the tomb. Israel waited centuries for the Messiah. The disciples waited in fear after the Ascension. The Church waits still for the final restoration.
Waiting is not a failure of faith — it is the environment in which faith grows.
5. Because the cry itself is an act of trust
When we say “make haste,” we are not accusing God of delay. We are confessing that we believe God can act, even when we cannot see how or when.
One homilist put it this way:
“The prayer is not a stopwatch. It is a lifeline.”
6. Because God does make haste — but not always in the way we expect
Sometimes the help comes as:
strength to endure
clarity to take the next step
a person who shows up at the right moment
peace that steadies the heart
the courage to wait without despair
God’s haste is often interior, not exterior.
7. Because the repetition forms us into people who trust God’s timing
The more we pray it, the more we learn this paradox: We can ask God to hurry while also surrendering to God’s pace.
Both are holy. Both are honest. Both are necessary.
A closing thought
Perhaps the real miracle is not that God eventually answers, but that God teaches us to keep praying even when the answer is slow.
We say “make haste” because we are human. God answers in God’s time because God is God. And somewhere between our urgency and God’s eternity, grace takes root.
Note about Morning Prayer: Each morning prayer post reflects on one phrase from the Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. which can be found in the iBreviary (a downloadable app), Universalis (website) or Divine Office (publication and website).
post production may be assisted by AI in image generation and content (research and wording)
Read more Morning Prayer posts.
Morning Prayer posts inspired by Being Catholic in Troubled Times (Dennis Ortman)
Book Description:
These are times that try our souls. This book is addressed to all, not just Catholics, who search for deeper meaning in tough times. Our age is marked by division and alienation. We long for some message that will bring peace to our world and our hearts.
This book suggests that the Catholic faith can provide strength in these troubled times. The word "catholic" means "all-embracing, universal." Nothing is excluded in the catholic mind. The truth that sets us free can be found everywhere, especially in unexpected places. It is often hidden in plain sight. In our darkest moments, we find new light and life. When we are most despairing, a ray of hope shines through.
Dr. Dennis Ortman, former priest and current psychologist, is the author of Anger Anonymous, Anxiety Anonymous, Depression Anonymous, Being Catholic in Troubled Times, and Life, Liberty, and COVID-19.
For more posts by and about Dennis and his award-winning books, click HERE.
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