Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast

How Prayer Sustains Us Through Life’s Hardest Challenges

May 01, 2025
00:00 37:54
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Episode Summary: In this episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective, author Rachel Wojo joins me to share how prayer sustains us through life’s hardest challenges. From heartbreaking loss to seasons of silence, Rachel opens up about the desperate prayers that carried her through—and the surprising power of just three simple words. You’ll be encouraged to let go of prayer perfectionism, lean into honest conversation with God, and discover hope that holds—even in the dark.

Rachel shares the journey that inspired her book, Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments, and how the cries of biblical “desperados” mirror our own today. With vulnerability, she reflects on the grief of losing her daughter, Taylor, and the truth she had to whisper to her heart to keep going. If you've ever wondered how to pray when words fail, this conversation will remind you that God hears—even the smallest cries.

Quotables from the episode:

  • When I was a young adult, I grew up in a beautiful Christian home, went to Christian college, graduated, went on to teach in a Christian school, married a preacher boy, and so the white picket fence dream was just in sight.
  • You know, I thought that I would be a pastor's wife and we would have a beautiful family and God would just use us to reach so many people across the world.
  • And then I found out that my preacher husband was having an affair for four of the five years that we had been married. I discovered then that my special needs daughter who had been born during that time had more than just developmental delays, and her actual diagnosis was a rare metabolic disorder that would result in a lifespan of approximately 10 to 15 years is what they gave us at the time.
  • And so your dreams just come crashing down with all of those dilemmas, and you wonder, "Is God real?"
  • Desperate prayers became the cry of my heart early on.
  • It would take a couple of decades. Taylor lived for 22 years. We had her much longer than the anticipated time, and my heart grew to just love the Lord so, so much and embrace His hope and His peace, His mercy and grace throughout Taylor's lifetime.
  • God did give me an opportunity to remarry, and our beautiful redemption story includes five more children, so God has been gracious to us.
  • But I know that when people are in hurting, dark situations like what I've just shared — whether it's divorce, disease, death, discouragement, depression, all of those big D words — they just bring us to a point of: do we trust God enough with how we're feeling to go to Him?
  • Simple three-word prayers are powerful. They are powerful.
  • We oftentimes feel like we have to have all the right words, and so we don't go to God in prayer because we can't even think of what we should say.
  • Just boiling it down to simple three words — as I was walking through my daughter's suffering for so many years — I needed something I could remember.
  • My brain fog was very prevalent during those years, and even afterwards, the grief caused that fog. I just needed some simple wording that I could hold on to.
  • I realized that a conversation between God and me — it's just me and Him, right? It's just words between me and Him.
  • So I simplified it:
    • Address Him: "God"
    • Add a verb for the need
    • End with "me"
  • Some of those very simple three-word prayers are:
    • God hold me
    • God heal me
    • God revive me
    • God show me
    • God guide me
  • Just asking Him to do what I couldn't do for myself.
  • When we use the three-word prayer, we're admitting that He is God and we are not. We're not in control, as much as we want to be.
  • And so those three-word prayers can really simplify our plan, our hearts, our minds, but they also can be deeply profound because God takes those words to His heart — and that's where His power steps in.
  • Sometimes when I'm in those desperate seasons, I can have a really short memory of what God has already done in my life - which is why I'm so grateful for the Bible.
  • Because even when I can't remember what God has done for me, we've got countless accounts of what God has done for other people.
  • And in each chapter of Desperate Prayers, you focus on one Bible character that you call a desperado, and being from Texas, I love that.
  • What do the desperate prayers of the Bible have in common with our prayers today?
  • When I read those prayers, I get so excited because:
    • They didn’t have their acts together — and neither do we have to.
    • We all come to God in brokenness, in desperate need, in a state of destitution.
  • I used to think that word "destitution" meant you had to physically have nothing, but there's spiritual destitution and emotional constitution and so many areas of our lives where we're just experiencing an emptiness, a void, and we need God.
  • When I look at those Bible characters, I see men and women who recognized that looking up was the only way out.
  • Whether the issue is infertility like Hannah, rejection like Hagar, or the many emotions David shares throughout the Psalms — no matter what the issue, we can take it to God.
  • I take a lot of encouragement from those desperadoes.
  • I had a little post-it note on my desk that said "Drop prayer perfectionism." It was a reminder that I don't have to have the words together.
  • As an introverted person — an extroverted introvert — I can eventually articulate things, but my words often come out better on paper. That’s why I choose to prayer journal a lot.
  • I'm so thankful that we don't have to have perfect words to go to God. He accepts them as they are. And when we don't have any words at all, that's when it’s amazing to see how He's already provided, even when we don't know what we need.
  • Anyone who has lost a loved one — especially a child — knows this isn't the way God intended life to be lived.
  • The very first parents, Adam and Eve, lost a child.
  • And so I had to tell myself — probably the same thing Eve had to tell herself after Cain killed Abel: "I did not die when my son died. God has a plan for me."
  • Those are the words I had to speak to myself: I did not die when my daughter died. God has a plan for me.
  • It was a really difficult thing to tell myself.
  • Because when you say that, you admit the truth: you would rather not live without your child.
  • I appreciate so much that you say we need to speak truth to ourselves — even out loud.
  • Because in times of greatest desperation, we're vulnerable to the enemy's lies.
  • Speaking truth out loud:
    • Reminds ourselves of the truth.
    • Strengthens faith ("Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" — Romans 10:17).
    • Places that stake in the sand so that the enemy knows: we're going to speak that truth, even when it's hard.
    • You can say anything to the Lord — and it will be fine. It’s really a posture of turning your heart toward Him.
    • Even just simply calling out the name Jesus is a prayer — and I have done that many times.
    • If you have no words — if you can't figure out what to pray — then invite Jesus into the space where you are. He longs to be present with you. He is already there.
    • By making that invitation, you ask for His supernatural strength, mercy, and grace to surround and comfort you.
    • When we turn our hearts toward Him — that powerful posture of prayer yields the pathway to peace.
    • Prayer is the channel that allows us to place our hope on Him — a place where hope is accepted, loved, honored, cherished — and it shifts our perspective. Because most of us need a perspective shift in order to experience peace. And that's what prayer does for us.
    • God wants to do so much more than answer our prayers. He wants to be the answer to our prayers. Those are two totally different things.
    • A lot of us want our prayers answered — and He is a prayer-answering God. I've seen miracles. I know you have too, Michelle. We've witnessed them. But more than answering, He wants to be the answer.
    • When we rely on Him, our perspective changes —from the here and now to what matters for eternity.
    • Friends, I hope you heard that: More than answering your prayers, God wants to be the answer for you.

    Scripture References:

    • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 encourages “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
    • Romans 8:26 encourages us “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
    • Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
    • Colossians 4:2 tells us how to handle life’s darkest seasons: “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

    Recommended Resources:

    Social Media Links for Host and Guest:

    Connect with Rachel Wojo:

    Website / Facebook / X / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / LinkedIn

    For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at:

    Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple

    Guest:

    Rachel Wojo is an inspirational author, speaker, and podcaster. Through her biblical approach and personal life experiences, Rachel empowers women to discover strength and hope in everyday situations. Despite enduring the loss of her mother, adult special needs daughter, and father, Rachel remains resilient. Rachel is deeply in love with her husband, Matt, and cherishes her motherhood with six children on earth and two in heaven.

    Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson

    Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson

    Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

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    Meet Your Host
    Dr. Michelle Bengtson is a hope concierge! She is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, international speaker, and award-winning author dedicated to offering hope, healing, and practical tools for mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. As the host of the top-rated podcast Your Hope-Filled Perspective, she combines her professional expertise with biblical truth to empower listeners to overcome anxiety, depression, and life’s challenges through faith.

    A trusted voice in Christian mental health, Dr. Bengtson is the bestselling author of Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor's Personal Journey through Depression and Breaking Anxiety's Grip. With over 30 years of clinical experience, she has helped countless individuals find lasting freedom from fear, stress, and discouragement.

    Dr. Bengtson is a frequent media guest on platforms such as Focus on the Family, Life Today, and Moody Radio. Her writing and resources have been featured on outlets including Crosswalk, iBelieve, and Salem Media, equipping believers to embrace God's promises in every season.

    Connect with Dr. Bengtson at DrMichelleBengtson.com, where she shares faith-based encouragement, expert insights, and free resources for cultivating a hope-filled life.
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