Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
6 24 2026


Audio Version

A Father’s Day Suicide – We Cry Abba

I am praying a darker prayer today. But it is a prayer to all who are struggling, discouraged…and at their wits’ end.   I lost a dear brother, honestly, almost a son, as I have known him for 40 years, this Father’s Day weekend, to suicide.  He was only 45.  I did not have an inkling this could ever happen to him.  So many of us shield our anxieties and fears as if they were some treasure, when we need to reach out to our community, our family, and church to stand with us and walk with us.  But too many don’t.

I went for a sunrise walk, and started praying.  My wife is recovering from surgery, AI has negatively affected my income, and a dear son has taken his own life out of despair.  No music.  No podcast to learn more.  I just needed to pour out my own cup of sorrows to my Dad. Did we not receive “the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15).

Heavenly Dad,

Before I ask You for anything, I must stop and remember who You are.  I must thank you for the many gifts you have given me.

You are holy and good.
You are the Creator of heaven and earth.
You are faithful when I am faithless, patient when I am stubborn, and gentle when I am weak.

You have never abandoned me.
You have carried me through valleys I never thought I would survive.
You have forgiven me more times than I can count.
You have given me breath for this day, food on my table, people to love, and promises that cannot be broken.

You are my Shepherd.
My Refuge.
My Redeemer.
My Rock.
My Defender.
My Abba Father.

Thank You for every blessing I see and for the countless mercies I overlook.

Thank You for salvation through Jesus.
Thank You that Your mercies are new this … and every morning.
Thank You that even when my heart is weary, Your love is not.

Dad, I come to You honestly needing to cry out.

These are days when I feel overwhelmed.  I feel like I am in a season and not just a day.
Days when grief, fear, uncertainty, and exhaustion seem heavier than I can carry.
Honestly, I don’t know what to do next.
I feel frozen…unable to move forward, unable to see clearly, unable to pray the words I wish I had.

But I am falling at your feet…I am remembering your words, and I know that I know, that You are not overwhelmed.  You are bigger than my burdens.  

But through my tears, I speak out your words…your scriptures that You are the God who gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
You are near the brokenhearted.
You do not snuff out the faintest flame.
You do not turn away when Your children are struggling.  


Father, I will proclaim your words until your light is so bright that the darkness disappears.

Ten Scriptures for the Weary and Overwhelmed

1. Isaiah 40:29-31

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength… they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”

God does not reserve His strength for the strong. He gives it to the faint.

2. Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus doesn’t say, “Get yourself together and then come.” He says, Come while you are weary.

3. Psalm 34:18

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Not just the sad….The crushed.

4. Isaiah 42:3

“A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench.” When all you have left is a flicker, Jesus protects the flame instead of extinguishing it.

5. Psalm 61:2

“From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Sometimes faith isn’t climbing the rock. It’s asking God to carry you there.

6. Lamentations 3:22-24

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.”

Jeremiah wrote these words while looking over the ruins of Jerusalem. Hope isn’t naïve. It’s defiant.

7. Psalm 94:19

“When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.” The psalmist doesn’t hide his anxiety. He discovers that God’s comfort is greater.

8. Nahum 1:7

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

Not only does God receive those who run to Him— He knows them.

9. 2 Corinthians 12:9

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Your weakness is not an obstacle to God’s work. It is often the stage upon which He displays His grace.

10. Psalm 23:1-3

“The Lord is my shepherd… He restores my soul.”

Notice: He doesn’t merely give directions. He restores souls. And sometimes that’s exactly what weary people need.

So I ask You Dad:  Lift my eyes.  Steady my heart.  Strengthen my legs from buckling.  Quiet the noise in my mind. It is deafening.

Dad, I am paralyzed by fear, remind me through these scriptures that I do not have to know the whole path. Right now, I don’t even seem to have a door to choose.  And being a person who likes to be in control and know the path, I am overwrought with what to do and even how to begin again.  But your scriptures scream to me, though my knees are feeble and my mind says I am lost, that your words will give me strength.  I don’t have to know the way to go right now, only the One who walks beside me.  So I will repeat and repeat and repeat your words until my flicker becomes a flame of faith again.

I WILL NOT lean on my own understanding…for I have none.
When I am weary, You will renew my strength.
When I am discouraged, Your Holy Spirit will remind me of Your promises.
I am feeling alone… but I trust that you will wrap me in Your presence.

And Dad, I pray for others who are struggling too.

For the ones who are grieving.
For those fighting depression.
For the one who lies awake at night worrying.
For the one who feels forgotten.

For those whose bodies are broken
For the one who has lost hope.

Meet them where they are. 

Be their peace.
Be their refuge.
Be their courage.
Be mine!

Remind us all that we are not carrying our burdens alone.

Lead us…lead me,  to the Rock that is higher than we are.
Restore our souls.
Teach us..teach me, to rest in Your love.

And if all I can do today is take one small step toward You, remind me that You delight in that step.  Because You are a good Father.  I will read your word of encouragement until they fan my flicker into a flame again.  For you say you live to make intercession for me.

And I am forever grateful to call You my Dad, who will never leave me or forsake me.

In the mighty and tender name of Jesus,

Amen.

May this be true for you today:  “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” — Deuteronomy 33:27

Even when you feel like you can’t stand, you are being held.