When We Don’t Know How to Pray

LEARNING HOW TO PRAY

Some days, I’m unsure how to pray. I ask for healing time and again, but pain persists. I intercede consistently for my suffering friends, yet their trials continue. Does God understand how weary and hopeless I feel?

For me, expressing raw emotion can feel risky. What if revealing doubt and fear (what I perceive as weak faith) disqualifies me from the Lord’s help?

Yet the Bible offers countless examples of honest prayer. 

• The writer of Psalms repeatedly cries out, How long? 
• The book of Job overflows with questions. 
• Jesus boldly declares His anguish on the cross: My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?
• Psalm 62:8 invites us to bring the Lord every thought and feeling: Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us. Resting in His steadfast love instills confidence in sharing our concerns and desires. He is fully trustworthy, with wisdom and ability far beyond what we can imagine.

PRAYERS FROM SCRIPTURE

Not long ago, I was at a loss for words to lift in prayer. The ache of ongoing health challenges permeated body and soul. Sitting on my living room couch, I glanced at a decorative sign I have displayed for years: Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Even though I had seen it countless times before, I sensed the Lord asking me to linger in its truth. It expressed exactly what I needed and showed a path forward. I slowly spoke the verse aloud and noted the phrase abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. God offers hope sourced in Him alone, regardless of circumstances. He wanted me to believe He would provide it.

Chronic Joy’s 25 Verses to Comfort and Encourage printable provides a selection of verses to use as a framework for prayer. It includes Old and New Testament passages as reminders of the Lord’s character, compassion, presence, and promises. One I’ve repeatedly turned to is: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

PRAYERS FROM FELLOW BELIEVERS

Praying words crafted by fellow believers in their time of need are also helpful. A Quiet Mind, a poem from Amy Carmichael’s Toward Jerusalem, has been meaningful to me recently. The poem’s last stanza reads: 

Lord, grant to me a quiet mind;
That trusting Thee, for Thou art kind;
I may go on without a fear;
For thou, my Lord, art always near.

More than 25 prayer-related resources can be found in Chronic Joy’s printable section. One specific prayer in which I take great comfort is from Prayers for Suffering, where I find a perspective that reflects my own experience: 

Lord, I am weary of this suffering that has burst into my life. I keep trying to solve the puzzle with another doctor, another opinion, more medication, another treatment, more surgery, and another false hope. How I long for a respite, for this suffering to cease! Please grant me patience. Please help me see that my suffering grows compassion in me to walk beside others. I surrender, Lord. Amen.

The prayers of other believers assure us that we are not alone in our struggles. They voice the cry of our heart when we cannot articulate it, inspiring renewed courage to trust God in whatever we are facing.

PRAYER

Thank You, Lord, for helping us when we don’t know how to pray. You are compassionate with our weakness and gentle in Your love. Please teach us to bring You every need and request, trusting in Your perfect care. You are our refuge and strength. We love You. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• Have you found yourself at a loss for words to pray? What were the circumstances?
• What concerns do you need to bring to God right now?
• Where in Scripture can you find encouragement?
• Can you access some prayers of fellow believers?