Day 4 - “Lord, I’m Not OK, But I’m Still Here”
- Congregational Federation
- Feb 21
- 2 min read
Lent is a time to reflect and be honest with ourselves. The worship song “Lord, I’m not OK, but I’m still here” may be the most honest confession any of us ever make. It’s a prayer that doesn’t pretend, doesn’t perform, and doesn’t hide. The song simply invites us to come before God as we are.
In Scripture, Jesus spends forty days in the desert, stripped of comfort, certainty, and distraction. He doesn’t enter the wilderness triumphantly; he enters it vulnerable. And yet he remains. He stays present. He keeps showing up. Our Lent journey asks us to do the same.
There are times when our faith doesn’t feel strong or joyful or victorious. Sometimes faith feels like dragging ourselves out of bed when our hearts are heavy. Sometimes it looks like turning up to worship when we’d rather withdraw. Sometimes it’s simply whispering, “Lord, I’m not OK, but I’m still here.” That small admission is itself a prayer of trust.
Lent isn’t about proving our strength. It’s about discovering God’s. When we admit we’re not OK, we make space for grace. We stop trying to hold everything together and allow God to hold us instead. Psalm 51 says, “A broken and contrite heart you will not despise.” God doesn’t turn away from our weakness; God meets us in it.
Being “still here” matters. It means we haven’t given up. It means something in us — perhaps only a flicker — still hopes for healing, still longs for renewal, still believes that God can bring life out of dust. Lent is the season where that flicker is tended gently, patiently, lovingly.
And God honours it. After his time in the wilderness, angels ministered to Jesus. In our wilderness, grace tends to us too — in a word of encouragement, a gesture of support, in help offered that we didn’t know we needed. God doesn’t demand that we be OK. God simply invites us to stay open, stay present, stay willing to be transformed.
As we journey through Lent, maybe the most faithful prayer we can offer is not polished or poetic, but honest. “Lord, I’m not OK, but I’m still here” is a prayer that trusts God with our truth and vulnerability. It’s a prayer that keeps us rooted when life feels uncertain. It’s a prayer that opens the door to resurrection.
Because Lent always leads somewhere. It leads through the wilderness, through the shadows, through the places we’d rather avoid, to the Cross — but it doesn’t leave us there. The God who meets us in our “not OK” place is the same God who brings us to Easter morning and the Resurrection.
God of mercy,
When we are not OK, hold us in your grace.
When our strength is small, steady us with your love.
As we walk this Lenten path,
keep us present, honest, and open to your renewing Spirit.
Lead us toward the hope of Easter,
and stay close to us in every step we take. Amen.
Debbie Wilson
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