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In Our Suffering, Lord Be Near: Prayers of Hope for the Hurting
Where do you turn in seasons of despair? What do you do when you don't know what to do?
Ben Locke is no stranger to suffering, and in his darkest hours of sorrow, he took his suffering to Jesus. The prayers that poured out offer a road map for you to take your sorrows, grief, and troubles to God, knowing He will meet you in your time of suffering.
Hardship and adversity touch everyone—illness, grief, accidents, trauma, loneliness, relationship struggles, financial crises, sin, addiction, life stressors, and so much more can make people feel lost and hopeless. In Our Suffering, Lord Be Near can be a light in the darkness if you
Feel like questioning, yelling at, doubting, or even denouncing GodWant to separate from the churchWonder if God is listening to your prayers and cares about your troublesDo not know what to do with your angerFear that life will be this way forever
You are not alone. In Ben Locke's darkest valleys, he was determined to tell God exactly what he thought. He poured out his agony and anger—and was met with God's grace, love, forgiveness, strength, and eternal mercy. He discovered in those moments that God can handle it. All of it.
The psalm like prayers borne out of these experiences will meet you in your own moments of suffering. But they are more than prayers. They're cries for help and explosions of anger, mourning, weeping, grieving, celebrating, rejoicing, and praising. They're liturgies to heal your soul, balm for your wounds, and tender mercies for your heartache. This book will help you know
God is with you, even if you don’t feel Him or understand what is happeningGod offers you grace and mercy, no matter whatGod delivers you and gives you strength
Let these words help you articulate your own sorrows, bring you to your knees, encourage you to confess your insufficiency, and express your most genuine emotions. God can handle your suffering. So, tell Him.
Ben Locke is no stranger to suffering, and in his darkest hours of sorrow, he took his suffering to Jesus. The prayers that poured out offer a road map for you to take your sorrows, grief, and troubles to God, knowing He will meet you in your time of suffering.
Hardship and adversity touch everyone—illness, grief, accidents, trauma, loneliness, relationship struggles, financial crises, sin, addiction, life stressors, and so much more can make people feel lost and hopeless. In Our Suffering, Lord Be Near can be a light in the darkness if you
Feel like questioning, yelling at, doubting, or even denouncing GodWant to separate from the churchWonder if God is listening to your prayers and cares about your troublesDo not know what to do with your angerFear that life will be this way forever
You are not alone. In Ben Locke's darkest valleys, he was determined to tell God exactly what he thought. He poured out his agony and anger—and was met with God's grace, love, forgiveness, strength, and eternal mercy. He discovered in those moments that God can handle it. All of it.
The psalm like prayers borne out of these experiences will meet you in your own moments of suffering. But they are more than prayers. They're cries for help and explosions of anger, mourning, weeping, grieving, celebrating, rejoicing, and praising. They're liturgies to heal your soul, balm for your wounds, and tender mercies for your heartache. This book will help you know
God is with you, even if you don’t feel Him or understand what is happeningGod offers you grace and mercy, no matter whatGod delivers you and gives you strength
Let these words help you articulate your own sorrows, bring you to your knees, encourage you to confess your insufficiency, and express your most genuine emotions. God can handle your suffering. So, tell Him.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published July 16, 2024
12 people are currently reading
1572 people want to read
About the author
Ben Locke
1 book10 followersBen is a former college soccer player and, although he doesn’t quite understand how and when it happened, he is now a writer of words.
After multiple injuries and chronic illness forced him to abandon his hopes of playing professional soccer, Ben dove headfirst into writing as a means of escape, expression, and faith. Without any agenda, he began journaling his exchanges and interactions with the Lord in a notebook, often hunched over the side of his bed due to his illness. Through a series of wonderfully absurd events, this notebook became a manuscript that led to the upcoming release of his debut book, In Our Suffering, Lord Be Near. Now, as Ben prepares to publish his first book, he seeks to inspire the often-silenced voices of the sick, lost, lonely, and hopeless.
This honest pursuit, along with the unwavering support of his family, also led him to come forward about the sexual abuse he endured as a collegiate athlete. His unexpected discovery of the profound grace of God, combined with his intense experiences of pain and suffering, motivate him to speak with directness, write with vulnerability, and tell the story of the broken.
He recently launched an online journal called https://www.evensongjournal.com/, which is a weekly writing shared with readers interested in communal prayer, and is preparing to publish his first book with HarperCollins / Zondervan in July of 2024.
After multiple injuries and chronic illness forced him to abandon his hopes of playing professional soccer, Ben dove headfirst into writing as a means of escape, expression, and faith. Without any agenda, he began journaling his exchanges and interactions with the Lord in a notebook, often hunched over the side of his bed due to his illness. Through a series of wonderfully absurd events, this notebook became a manuscript that led to the upcoming release of his debut book, In Our Suffering, Lord Be Near. Now, as Ben prepares to publish his first book, he seeks to inspire the often-silenced voices of the sick, lost, lonely, and hopeless.
This honest pursuit, along with the unwavering support of his family, also led him to come forward about the sexual abuse he endured as a collegiate athlete. His unexpected discovery of the profound grace of God, combined with his intense experiences of pain and suffering, motivate him to speak with directness, write with vulnerability, and tell the story of the broken.
He recently launched an online journal called https://www.evensongjournal.com/, which is a weekly writing shared with readers interested in communal prayer, and is preparing to publish his first book with HarperCollins / Zondervan in July of 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 25, 2024
Thank you Ben, NetGalley, and Zondervan for allowing me to be an ARC reader in return for an honest review.
Real and raw — just what the soul needs sometimes. You can definitely feel the emotion coming off the pages from each prayer. I loved that the author said several times that you’re not alone in your problems and sufferings. Sometimes it’s just what you need to hear!
Real and raw — just what the soul needs sometimes. You can definitely feel the emotion coming off the pages from each prayer. I loved that the author said several times that you’re not alone in your problems and sufferings. Sometimes it’s just what you need to hear!
July 17, 2024
Ben Locke’s story and writing style will offer comfort and wisdom to anyone facing challenging life circumstances. Through poignant prayer, he boldly displays how to balance frustration with God in the face of suffering with continued faith & hope in His love for us. This book sets a powerful example of inviting God into your pain rather than running from it. I hope it motivates others to do the same.
March 30, 2024
With echoes of the Psalms, Ben Locke offers a raw and honest look at a man praying through great suffering. The book is structured as poetry, prayer, and the story of the author, and it beautifully lays out a faith in God without full understanding of the trials we go through while in a world tainted by sin. Communal prayer is rich in power and vulnerability, Ben Locke exemplifies this in the most powerful way, aiding Christians in places of grace and mercy we wouldn't normally expect. Any of these prayers would be amazing examples of empathy of suffering with theologically sound processing of giref, sorrow, mourning, and despair. While I do think some are better than others, what a blessing it is for this author to share his journey through prayer and offer so much vulnearbility in the hope that he would help others on their journey of suffering to walk closer to God and feel His prescence.
March 27, 2024
This was a very uplifting and motivational read. It was just what I needed during a time of adversity in my life. Highly recommend!
July 20, 2024
When it’s difficult to find words, Ben delivers them with honesty, simplicity, and humility. Written both for those suffering and those trying to best love and understand someone who is suffering, this book is a true light. While we all search to be seen and known by others, Ben reminds us that the God of the universe sees us and knows us more deeply than we could ever search for. May we all bring our heart to the feet of the Lord as Ben does here.
July 15, 2024
In Our Suffering, Lord Be Near is a collection of poetry intended to invite readers to share life's most challenging, difficult, and miserable experiences together. A very painful chapter of the author's life led to the writing of this book. Aside from reflecting who he is today, the book is also a reflection of his heart, mind, body, and soul. It is the author's hope that through his book readers will find encouragement as they navigate through their own hardships. Readers are challenged to bring their trials and emotions that threaten to consume them before the Lord. The Lord's mercy, grace, and peace will bring hope and strength to those who are hurting. It is inevitable that we will face difficulties living in a fallen, sinful world. However, the Lord desires that we cast our burdens on Him. We will find spiritual healing by doing so.
The book is divided into sections as follows.
From Crisis to Safety
From Despair to Lament
From Defiance to Submission
From Grief to Rescue
From Wandering to Obedience
From Crossroads to Justice
From Relilience to Strength
From Redemption to Deliverance
From Praise to Adoption
During my reading of the book, I selected a few poems to share.
I would recommend this book.
The book is divided into sections as follows.
From Crisis to Safety
From Despair to Lament
From Defiance to Submission
From Grief to Rescue
From Wandering to Obedience
From Crossroads to Justice
From Relilience to Strength
From Redemption to Deliverance
From Praise to Adoption
During my reading of the book, I selected a few poems to share.
I would recommend this book.
September 4, 2024
This was a very honest book. The author shares his true feeling in the midst of suffering. The verses in this book are reminiscent of the psalms and can help us remember that though we will all have times of suffering and pain and questions in our lives we can still trust in God and His power and support. I also really appreciate the vulnerability of the author in not hiding his true feelings behind platitudes about God knowing what's best for us, but is honest and questions and asks the hard things. As someone who struggles with chronic health concerns I get easily frustrated when people act as if the feelings of pain, anger and frustration don't matter and we should just be happy all the time, so seeing someone share these feelings was really helpful and I something that I think would be a nice addition to my bookshelf for when I am feeling this way myself.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
July 17, 2024
It is impossible to avoid pain. Trials and hard times come, but how we choose to respond in those times is what ends up defining us. Ben shows us that bringing it ALL to God is not only ok, but utterly life giving, refining and what ultimately moves us into the next season more able. As I read his raw and honest narrative, I am filled with hope for this precious generation as the honesty and desire to tackle really hard things is not always the road we choose. Ben runs straight at his pain with a faith determined to make good out of bad, believing God has an ongoing and beautiful purpose in his suffering, and in this I am compelled to fully believe the same for my life. Part poetry- Psalm like - in whispers and sometimes shouts, a most authentic dialogue with the Lord…
Keep writing, Ben!
Keep writing, Ben!
July 19, 2024
Poignant. Honest. Raw. & Real. When words escape most of us when we're hurting, author Ben Locke finds a way to break through the silence and offer reflective thoughts and comforting prayers which powerfully resonate with even the most hurting of hearts. As every word ushers in the hope we all so desperately need, this book stands on the pillar of God's promise to be close to the brokenhearted, and He is indeed...close.
July 19, 2024
In a word: necessary. I couldn't recommend this book enough, as it has become a staple in my healing process. It is ok to be angry, confused, and desperate in your process of overcoming pain, and this book has become my ever-present companion in my journey to health.
Grab a copy, you'll be happy you did!
Grab a copy, you'll be happy you did!
July 19, 2024
As a lifelong skeptic, I was surprised to read such a raw work from Ben Locke. In this open, authentic, masterful book, Locke invites the reader into a sacred place: the depths of his heart, and challenges you to sit in the stillness of pain. Unpredictable as life is, this book serves as a welcome reminder that we are not alone. Thank you, Ben!
July 19, 2024
I genuinely love this book. What a powerful style of writing from author Ben Locke. I am eager to see what comes up with next!
July 19, 2024
my life has been really hard...and its so great to know that i am not suffering alone. i'm glad i found this book, bc it has really helped :)
July 19, 2024
I feel seen. This book truly speaks to my soul.
July 19, 2024
this book is helping me through a really hard time. truly amazing.
February 16, 2025
A book filled with simple prayers for when you are suffering.
September 15, 2025
Liturgies of Lament
February 3, 2026
One of my favorite books. So real and raw.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews