Lamentations 3:8 (ASV)

Passage

Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

Lamentations 3:7 He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.

Lamentations 3:8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

Lamentations 3:9 He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.

Lamentations 3:10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "call", "help", "shutteth", and "prayer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "call" and "help", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "He hath walled me about that I..." into verse 9's "He hath walled up my ways with...", so "call" and "help" belong inside that flow. In Lamentations context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "call" and "help" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.