How do I pray when I don't know what to say?
Dear God, help me keep coming to You in prayer, even when I don't know what to say. Help me believe You can take the messages from my head and heart and translate them when I don't have words. Help me have peace when I don't have the answers to my prayers, and help me trust You to answer in the way You best see fit.
- Pray through passages of Scripture. ...
- Pray the words of hymns or contemporary modern music. ...
- Pray through journaling. ...
- Pray as you dwell on one word. ...
- Pray in questions. ...
- Pray through the names of Jesus. ...
- Pray using the ACTS acrostic.
Dear God, help me keep coming to You in prayer, even when I don't know what to say. Help me believe You can take the messages from my head and heart and translate them when I don't have words. Help me have peace when I don't have the answers to my prayers, and help me trust You to answer in the way You best see fit.
Lord, I am facing a difficult decision and am not sure which direction to take. Please light my path and help me make the right choice. Remove all doubts so that I may trust and follow Your guidance.
For those who have ever stumbled over what to say while praying or for those who want their prayers to be more effective, How to Pray When You Don't Know What to Say offers clear guidance on the importance of prayer, a vast array of ways to approach God, why some prayers are not answered, how to deal with doubts about ...
- Share your honest thoughts and feelings with God. ...
- Pray for strength. ...
- Use prayers from others as guideposts. ...
- Reflect on what God has done—personally, and globally.
- “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” ...
- “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” ...
- “Give us today our daily bread.” ...
- “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” ...
- “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.” The wrong motives can impact your prayer life in such a way that God doesn't give you what you're asking for, no matter how much you beg.
And as you make room for your heavenly Father to speak, remember this wondrous truth — though our words may falter or fail, God's Word never will. Dear Jesus, thank You for being a speaking Savior. Teach me to pray Your words and trust Your promises. I want to anchor my hope in Your timeless Truth.
As we make God the anchor of our delight, we will have desires that shift and look more like His. So, are we to pray for our desires? Yes!
How do you pray when you want?
- Know to whom you are speaking. ...
- Thank Him. ...
- Ask for God's will. ...
- Say what you need. ...
- Ask for forgiveness. ...
- Pray with a friend. ...
- Pray the Word. ...
- Memorize Scripture.
But the truth is that words are not required. Prayer, in its most simple definition, is communion with God. I often think of it as a conversation, but it doesn't have to be. Have you ever sat in companionable silence with a spouse, parent or friend?
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Mark 11:24 In-Context
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
If you have trouble concentrating during prayers because your mind is busy going over all your pending tasks, then it's best to schedule your day. To improve your concentration in prayer, keep track of your everyday activities and allow yourself a specific time in the day specifically for prayers.
God is not the one who failed to answer, but rather we are the ones who have failed to receive. What actually happens when we ask in prayer is that God moves immediately and gives us the answer in our spirits. We are responsible for believing that, and acting accordingly to bring the answer into the physical world.
At the root of unanswered prayer is the human reality that sin will always interfere with prayer to some extent. It blinds our eyes to God's wisdom, directs our desires away from God's will, and closes our eyes to God's grand vision.
It is simply this—whenever you ask for something you want and you're not totally sure if it's something God wants for you, tack on the phrase “but if not” and then add something you're sure God would want for you.
End your prayer
Once you've said all that you wanted to say, you can end your prayer by saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” We do this because Jesus is the way to connect to our Father in Heaven and all things should be done in His name.
Keep Talking to God. Just because God seems silent doesn't mean you should doubt Him or stop praying. God's silence isn't a license for us to turn our backs on Him. Instead, it's an invitation to press forward and seek Him even more diligently.
How do I know when my prayer is answered?
In our hearts we will feel the confirmation that He does hear us, a feeling of peace and calm. We can also feel that everything will be fine when we follow the Father's will. If we doubt that He hears us, we ought to seek guidance in the scriptures and then ask if those things we read are true.
When it came to His people enslaved by Egypt, God said, “I have seen the affliction of my people … given heed to their cry … I am aware of their sufferings” (Exodus 3:7). Just as God saw and heard the Hebrew's cry, He hears yours, too.
The importance of public prayer should not be minimized, or prayer in the family circle, but it is secret prayer that should be especially emphasized, as it is the most important though most neglected of all forms of prayer.
The most effective prayer, the one that is always answered, is this: “Father, glorify Your name.” “Answer my cry, O Lord, in a way that will accomplish Your will, for Your will is good, acceptable, and perfect. It is best for You, and therefore best for me and any others who may be affected by this prayer.
It's hard to pray because humbling ourselves, getting over ourselves, and coming to the end of our stubborn and sinful selves is hard. When we pray, we die to self, and death hurts. That's why our flesh fights so hard against prayer.
References
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