When You Do Not Know What To Pray

There are seasons when prayer comes quickly and freely. Times when your heart is bursting with thanksgiving, where the words are there, and communication with God is easy.  

Then, there are seasons of prayer when the words stick in our throats, where prayers seem weak, where we feel we have nothing left to say, or are uncertain of even what to ask for.   

You and I will face both seasons in our lives. 

A few years ago, I found myself in a dry season. There were many things going on in my life and I could not easily see where God was nor how He was working. I was not sure how to pray or what I could even ask for.

I knew that I needed to keep praying even when the words did not come. I wanted to find a way to pray that honestly acknowledged how I was feeling. But, I also knew I needed to draw my eyes away from myself and back to God.  I needed to hear the Good News about who God was even if I could not see it clearly or feel it in my life.

And, so, I developed a simple way to pray that spurred me forward, through the strange time. I wanted to share it with you for a time when you might face the same challenge. And, it might be useful in this uncertain and confusing time.

It is a simple pattern.  “God, in me there is __________ but in you there is _________.”

“God,

In me there is weariness but in you there is abundant life.

In me there is pain but in you there is comfort and healing.

In me there is sadness but in you there is joy. 

In me there is sickness but you are the great physician.

In me there is despair but in you there is hope.

In me there is sleeplessness but in you there is rest. 

In me there is brokenness but in you all things hold together.” 

This is how I pray when I do not know what to pray. I acknowledge the difficult things happening in my heart and then recognize that what I need is found in God. 

Praying, in this manner, reminds me that whether or not I can feel God’s goodness, He is still good.

There are seasons when the Good News of Jesus does not penetrate my soul the way I would like it to. But this prayer helps me to speak out the truth about who God is and place my hope in Him.  I find solace in knowing that my own lack and weakness is nothing compared to His abundance and His willingness to give me what I need for wholeness. I was not created to muster up hope and joy in my life, but to receive them with thanksgiving from His gracious hands. 

When I focus my heart and mind on the unchanging nature of God, it gives me a way forward.  Focusing on God's attributes and my need for them, re-evangelizes parts of my heart that have been hardened.  

When I get caught looking inward to find my answers or to solve my problems this prayer draws me outward, to fix my eyes on the beauty of God. He is the guiding light in my life, the wisdom I need, and the strength I require. 

In God, all your deepest longings, needs, and desires are satisfied. He is the bread of Heaven and the fount of living water. He is true to His word and His words are the words of life.

May this little prayer give you words when you do not have any.  May your eyes be lifted to the abundant source of all you need.  Whether you have the words to pray or not, may your heart be filled with hope in knowing that “my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)