The title and premise of this book caught my attention, and I just knew I had to read it! Co - authored by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson, "In the Low: Honest Prayers for Dark Seasons" is the perfect book for anyone struggling with depression. The authors assert that "prayer is not about getting God's attention but about awakening to the voice and work of God that is already in our lives . . . We pray because we're human, not because we're religious." The two were inspired by Johann Hari's belief that there are nine causes of depression and anxiety, which are disconnection from meaningful work, other people, meaningful values, childhood trauma, status and respect, the natural world, a hopeful or secure future, and disconnection due to genes or brain changes. McRoberts and Erickson had two questions at the heart of this book: "If being in the Low is part of how I exist, how do I do that?" and "How do I live and feel whole when I am also feeling pressed down, shaken, and run over?"

There were so many thoughtful statements and soul - searching questions in these prayers that I have highlighted and annotated so much of the book! I think my favorite quote is the following: "May I be reminded that my current situation is not my final destination. There's more to my life beyond the fog of today." I will be re-reading this book and recommending it to others. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is a unique prayer guide for anyone navigating depression and anxiety—a struggle I know all too well. I think the title alone spoke to me: In the Low: Honest Prayers for Dark Seasons. Authors Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson team up to bring readers solace through words and images that reminded me of a guided meditation. During my own low season, I needed this book. The authors became companions on my journey. Justin is a songwriter and speaker, while Scott is "a painter, performance artist and creative curate." When promoting this as well as their previous books, they said something that gave me much food for thought:

“We pray because we are human, not because we are religious. Something in our nature points beyond itself; something in us searches for and desires personal connection with God. Although communicating with our Creator through prayer is innate, the effective practice of it often feels just beyond our reach.”

Johann Hari’s book Lost Connections helped Justin and Scott organize their prayer companion. Hari gave nine of the causes of depression. You can read a review I found on this book by Fiona Sturges for The Guardian here. Johann said the nine causes are a disconnection from:

Meaningful Work

Other People

Meaningful Values

Childhood Trauma

 Status and Respect

The Natural World

A Hopeful or Secure Future

Two other causes are disconnection due to genetics and due to brain changes. Justin and Scott tackle seven disconnections and leave eight and nine - the role of genetics and brain changes - to the professionals.

“Ultimately depression is a sign post of some disconnection in a human life, and the process through the depression is a reconnection to that which makes us whole,” they said. In the Low is offered as a spiritual companion for the difficult journey of reconnection in a human life.”

Justin and Scott invite readers to recognize what isn’t working for them right now. Anyone struggling can select a prayer that resonates most with their situation—there’s no need to follow the book in order. Their chapters lead readers to reconnect to -

Where Am Today,

What Happened to Me,

What I Am a Part Of,

What I Value, and

What Is Ahead of Me.

They begin each prayer time with a version of the late Mary Mrozowski’s Welcoming Prayer, designed to prepare one's heart before talking with God. Mary saw this as “a method of how to let go of the activities of your daily life, to let go of emotions, feelings, commentaries, and thoughts that control us.” When we let go, she said, “God, by the (Holy Spirit) that dwells within us, changes them.” More importantly, we ourselves undergo transformation over time, freeing up energy that we could have used for God’s work instead of holding onto our own agendas and safeguarding our illusionary identities." (Soulstream.org, The Welcoming Prayer)

Summary & Analysis

What sets this book apart is its approach to how Justin and Scott view depression and the practice of prayer. In the Low isn’t a Bible study, so much as a prayer companion. Justin and Scott present prayer as a way of tuning in to the presence and activity of God already at work in our lives. They want to flip the script on how we talk about this mental illness. They think much differently than most Christians. To them, I’m not broken when I’m in the Low. I’m experiencing something that is shared by humanity. That reminded me of a verse about temptation in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Like temptation, times of depression are common to humans. We're "wild and complex," they said. We live in a fallen world in our earthly human tents. It’s “an inhumane world,” they said. Jesus said in John 16:33, “…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Trials and sorrows will come and God will use it for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28-29)

Justin and Scott said we don’t need an explanation for why we feel the way we do. We also don’t have to “do something about what we’ve experienced” in life. They talked about one of my favorite Bible stories: Saul’s road to Damascus in Acts 9:1-31. Saul (Paul in the Greek form) had a divine encounter with Jesus. Christ stopped him in his tracks and asked Saul why he had been persecuting His church. Left blind, Saul had to rely on his men to take him the rest of the way. Those men who walked with Saul through the valley were witnesses to his restoration. In similar fashion, Justin and Scott want to walk with each person in the dark valley.   

I like that they ended their prayer companion with a short story about Rev. Dr. Chad Varah who started the first suicide hotline in the UK. You can read about him in this article from The Guardian. They shared the number 988 Lifeline to call if someone is contemplating suicide. Someone is always on the other end to talk, and they want their prayer companion to act in a similar fashion.

My Thoughts

What struck me about In the Low is that this may be the first prayer book I’ve encountered that speaks to a wide audience. Justin and Scott wrote this and two other prayer companions for everyone—not just those who identify as Christians. Looking at their previous works, such as Prayer: 40 Days of Practice and May It Be So: Forty Days with the Lord’s Prayer, they address "people in every facet of life, including those with no real religious background at all." The authors suggest that “we pray because we are human, not because we are religious.” That left me asking so many questions: Does everyone pray? If so, to whom are they praying if they don't believe in God? The authors' claim prayer is part of what makes us human. "We’re human; therefore, we pray." I'm skeptical. Out of curiosity, I asked Alexa for statistics on prayer among those who aren’t religious. She responded that about one in five adults identifying as “not religious” still pray. Digging a little deeper, I read a 2012 Pew Research survey that reported about one-fifth of religiously unaffiliated adults say they pray daily. A more recent the Pew Research Center from February 2025 said 21 percent of Americans consider themselves ‘spiritual but not religious.’

Still, I do wish the Gospel message made it in here, as well as an explanation about the benefits package that comes with salvation through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit becomes a constant Resident in the believer's heart. And the Trinity then is activated in the believer's prayer life. Plus, Jesus Christ is the best prayer companion "in the Low." The Holy Spirit is available to all, yes, but He indwells the heart of the believer. He’s also how and why I’ve survived the Lows. Knowing I am not alone in this makes a difference. Jesus oversees my care. Two things can be true at the same time. I don't know that I agree everyone prays, while I do agree with Justin and Scott's assessment that as humans, we all “spend time in the Low.”

I see Justin and Scott then as contemporary psalmists, and I will reach for this book like I do the Psalms. Their valleys recalled to my mind ones I’ve walked through. I think they provided a life jacket in book form to a broad audience of people who suffer from depression, and for that I am grateful for this book. This book had me feeling so conflicted, but at the same time I also agreed with the authors while reading their prayers. It's "In the Low" that the soil of my heart is best prepared for talking about spiritual matters. When I've walked in the valley, I reach out to God, I'm receptive, and I'm desperate to hear from Him. I am like the woman with her issue of blood. She touched Jesus’ cloak and believed He would heal her with just that touch. Yes.

“I’m not enough.

Just one touch from You

Is more than enough

For a miracle….”

Justin and Scott's messages were a balm to my heart. I wish this book was available when I was growing up. I heard vastly different messages the first few times battling depression. In my teens and 20s, Christians said I must have sin in my life. That’s why I’m in the Low. How can I call myself a Christian if I am in the Low? Justin and Scott say that being human means I’m going to visit the Low at some point in my life. We spend time in the Low because we're human, not because we're broken, they said.

I don't blame those who thought they were speaking true things to me. They hadn't been in the Low. They didn't know that they were repeating the enemy’s taunts. The interesting thing about that time is this: I never believed them. I hurt more because people thought poorly of me and of my faith in Jesus. But God put people of faith in my path to help me every time, and He also places me now on the same path of people who need to hear they will make it through the Low.

That's what Justin and Scott hope to accomplish with their prayer companion, In the Low. They want people to have a different view of what's happening now and also have a hopeful vision of tomorrow just on the horizon. This book, these authors, will walk alongside their "beloved" in the meantime. We can hold onto the fact that someday we will walk on the other side of this dark place.

This short book will help people who need to hear from those who have been in the Low. Like TobyMac sang in Speak Life, the authors want to "speak life to the deadest, darkest night" of the soul. They "look into the eyes of the brokenhearted" and say to them: you will get through this. May their words and images speak to something deeper for their readers, especially the promise of a hopeful future.