Morning Prayer: Always you are there to help me - I thihnk of you, O Lord
In short, people don’t turn to God in critical moments because stress narrows attention, modern life trains us toward self‑reliance, and many have never practiced noticing God’s presence. We change that by building habits of recollection, teaching a theology of presence rather than performance, and creating communities where turning to God is modeled, normalized, and embodied.
Why people don’t think of God in critical moments
1. Stress collapses the field of awareness
Under threat, the brain’s attentional system narrows to immediate survival tasks. This is not a moral failure — it’s physiology. Unless someone has practiced “God-awareness” under normal conditions, it won’t appear under pressure.
2. Modern culture trains people to rely on themselves
We are formed from childhood to:
solve problems alone
be competent
avoid “bothering” others
treat spirituality as optional or decorative
So, in crisis, people default to the formation they actually have, not the faith they theoretically profess.
3. Many people have an implicit theology of distance
Even believers often carry the subconscious belief:
God helps sometimes
God helps if I’m good enough
God helps if I ask correctly
God helps if the situation is worthy
If God is imagined as conditionally present, people won’t instinctively turn toward Him.
4. People confuse remembering God with performing religion
If someone thinks “turning to God” means:
saying the right prayer
having the right emotion
being calm
being holy
being composed
…then in crisis they feel disqualified. So, they don’t turn to God at all.
5. Trauma teaches the body that help is unreliable
If someone grew up with inconsistent caregivers, their nervous system learned:
“Help doesn’t come.”
“I must handle everything myself.”
That wiring persists even when God is present.
How we change this — realistically, spiritually, pastorally
1. Teach a theology of presence, not performance
People need to hear — repeatedly — that:
God is present before you ask
God is present even when you forget
God is present even when you panic
God is present even when you feel nothing
If God’s presence is not dependent on human attention, then human attention can slowly learn to rest in it.
2. Practice micro‑recollection
Not long prayers. Not heroic spirituality. Tiny habits:
“Lord, you are here.”
“Help me notice you.”
“I am not alone.”
Thirty seconds at a time. This rewires the nervous system so that in crisis, the mind has a path back.
3. Normalize turning to God in ordinary moments
If people only think of God in church, they won’t think of Him in crisis. But if they think of God:
while washing dishes
while driving
while feeding the cat
while waiting in line
…then the neural pathway is already built.
4. Model it publicly and quietly
People learn spirituality by imitation, not instruction.
When someone sees:
a friend whisper “Lord, have mercy” before a hard conversation
a parent pause and breathe a prayer before making a decision
a priest admit “I’m scared, so I’m asking God to steady me”
…they learn that turning to God is normal, not dramatic.
5. Teach that forgetting God is not failure
If people believe forgetting God is a sin, they will hide it. If they believe forgetting God is human, they will return.
The spiritual life is not constant awareness — it is constant returning.
6. Reframe crisis as a place where God is already active
Instead of “I must remember God,” teach: “God is already here. I am simply noticing.”
This shifts the burden from human effort to divine constancy.
The deeper insight
Most people don’t turn to God in critical moments because they have never been taught that God is already in the critical moment.
They think they must bring God into the situation by remembering Him.
But the truth of Morning Prayer is the opposite:
God’s help is not activated by human attention. Human attention is awakened by God’s help.
Once people understand that, turning to God becomes natural — not pressured, not performative, not heroic, simply human.
Read more Morning Prayer posts: MSI Press Blog
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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