How To Pray When You Are All Out of Words
There are situations in our lives when we just don’t know how to pray or even have the words to pray. In those times, we can still be assured that God is close. Here are six things to do when you have run out of words and can’t pray.
There are moments in life when we find ourselves speechless before God. These could be times of deep grief, overwhelming uncertainty, or sheer exhaustion. In these seasons, prayer can feel daunting, even impossible. What do you do when you need God to take over and make things better, but all you can say is, “Oh, God?” Even in our silence, God is near. Here are six gentle reminders for those times when words fail us.
Know Your Position
First and foremost, remember who you are in Christ. God remains unchanging, steadfast in love and mercy. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you are in a covenant relationship with Him. He is your Kinsman Redeemer, loving you beyond comprehension. Your position as His beloved child remains firm even when words escape you.
We need to believe and acknowledge that we are standing in a most marvelous, intimate relationship with God!
Acknowledge God’s Good Intent
Life in a broken world brings challenges, but God’s intentions for us are always good. He works amidst the chaos, orchestrating events for His glory and our benefit. Trust that His sovereign plan is unfolding, even when it doesn’t align with our desires. His ways are higher, and His love unwavering.
Press Into God
He waits for us to come boldly to His Throne of Grace and tell Him everything!
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
God is always present and waiting for you to come to Him. He knows you. He sees you. And He hears you. He doesn’t need fancy or well-thought-out words. Just saying, “O God,” is enough. Sit quietly before Him. Whisper His name. Cry if you need to. Pour out your heart if you can. Or just sit in silence. He knows. And He is always working, even when you don’t see it.
Prayfully Read The Bible
When we cannot pray, we can prayerfully read the Bible! I find this overpoweringly comforting.
When articulating prayers feels challenging, turn to Scripture. The Bible is rich with comfort, truth, and hope. The Psalms, in particular, resonate deeply during such times. As you read, let God’s Word become your prayer, allowing it to speak on your behalf.
Did you know…
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Roman’s 8:26
When we cannot pray, the Holy Spirit is before the Throne, praying in inexpressible words! Amazing! How can we ever not trust a God that is praying so hard for us with groanings too deep for words!
Ask Others To Intercede For You
One of the most effective and beautiful privileges we have is to pray for others. It is powerful to bring others, in spirit, before the Throne of Grace when they are unable.
Lean on your community of faith. Invite trusted friends or family members to pray on your behalf. Sharing your burdens allows others to support you spiritually, bringing your needs before God when you feel unable.
I love the story in Luke 5 where a paralytic man’s friends brought him on a pallet to see Jesus so he could be healed. This story (Luke 5:1 7–39) is such a meaningful example for us. When you are out of words, turn to your friends and ask them to pray for you. The prayers of my friends have helped me more than I will ever know.
God’s Immense Love For You
We will all go through tough times. Isn’t it comforting that the God of all knows us and our troubles, loves us, and deeply intercedes for us? He and He alone is sovereign! Those thoughts can be very comforting in our greatest times of need!
If you are not secure about where you stand with God, let me assure you that God loves you and desperately wants a relationship with you. He loves you just as you are and where you are!
If you want to know more about having this life-changing relationship, please read THIS!
Summing It Up
Sometimes it is hard to pray. Do not worry. Just sit with God and let Him carry your pain, your grief, and your worries. Be still in His presence and ask Him for comfort. Press into your Father. He will meet you right in the middle of your storm.
THEN HE (JESUS) GOT INTO THE BOAT AND HIS DISCIPLES FOLLOWED HIM. A FURIOUS STORM CAME UP ON THE LAKE, SO THE WAVES SWEPT UP OVER THE BOAT. BUT JESUS WAS SLEEPING. THE DISCIPLES WENT AND WOKE HIM SAYING, “LORD, SAVE US! WE ARE GOING TO DROWN.” HE REPLIED, “YOU OF LITTLE FAITH WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID”?
THEN HE GOT UP AND REBUKED THE WIND AND WAVES AND IT WAS COMPLETELY CALM. THE MEN WERE AMAZED AND ASKED, “WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS? EVEN THE WIND AND WAVES OBEY HIM”. Mark 4: 36-41
Like the men in the boat, God is with you in every storm. Look to Him, press into Him, and pray to Him to help you to the other side of the storm.
Here’s a verse to ponder on this week…
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Happy Sunday, friends…
Thank you, Yvonne, for these words of encouragement. Have a blessed Lord’s Day.
Yvonne, what a blessing your post is this morning! I have been reciting Isaiah 41:10 daily and it has brought me much comfort during these troubling times. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Yvonne,
Today makes six weeks I’ve been in the house. I’m starting to lose my ability to cope. I’ve enjoyed cooking and I’m trying to use up all my yarn so I’m ending up with unfinished Afghans because nothing matches. Through it all, I’ve come to a point where I just feel empty inside. You’ve hit the nail on the head. I can’t seem to pray at all. I know that so many people have it much worse than me so I’m ashamed to feel like this. But it doesn’t help me to deal with it.
Hard to pray in these hard times, but God is here next to us, even if we don’t notice Him hugging us. Thanks for helping us pray and feel Him around being in charge of our lives.
Big hug from Spain once more. God bless you,
Charo
I think you have expressed what many people are feeling during this unimaginable time. This is my seventh week to be inside but I’m pretty much a homebody so it really hasn’t been too bad. I can relate concerning the inability to find words to pray. I was going through a really rough time a few months ago and found myself unable to feel God’s love and couldn’t get the words out to pray as I normally would do. Without knowing what to say, I just asked Him not to give up on me and please don’t let me give up on Him. I started reading my Bible more even when I felt like it was a chore at the time and before long I felt a peace that I hadn’t felt in a long time. These times are scary but we need to draw closer to God and trust that everything is in His control whether we understand or not. I hope you and your family stay safe and that this nightmare ends soon.
Diane R.
I live in the most locked down city in the world , Melbourne , Australia with the most unbelievable , draconian laws you can think of . We have just hit 8 months of lockdown . Yes , there have been times where I don’t know what to pray or even read in the Bible . But I sit and praise and worship and ask Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit and to fill my home with His presence because I desire Him . He has never let me down . In all of this I declare what His word says . “ He whom the Son sets free , is free indeed and also Jesus is the victory ! “ All be encouraged , we are truly free in these overwhelming times . Thank you Yvonne
I am praying for Australia!
Thank you <3
You are welcome!
Thank you for this awesome post. Amen Sister! HE is the same even in these trying times. I know we must depend on Him and only Him! Thank you for your encouragement. God bless you and your family!
Thank you Karen!
Thank you for always helping us to navigate in these troubling times. One Sunday at mass, our priest told the story of a man who couldn’t pray because he said he didn’t know any prayers. So that made it too hard to pray. He was told to pray the alphabet and that God would put the letters together and make beautiful prayers out of them. Our priest said, so when you find it hard too hard to pray right now because you are too sad, scared or worried, just pray the alphabet.
It was very emotional and we were all so touched by his words. We are all going through a lot with this pandemic and we need all the encouragement we can get!
P.S. Been loving your blog for years now!!
Thanks for being a StoneGable reader and thank you for the wonderful way to pray! Praying is just talking to God!
Can you send do not be afraid I am your god….printable version of inspiration to my email so i can print it in color.
Click the button and fill out your name and email address and then you will be prompted to go to a place you can download it and print it. Hope this is helpful
How lovely and timely this is! I’ve been feeling this way for quite some time! Thank you!
I’m so sorry, Antoinette! I just prayed for you! Keep your eyes on Jesus and not on the world. God is in control!
I’m going through a very difficult time. My child is out of school because I can’t offord her school fees, the landlord is asking us out of the house and I’m in a lot of debts. I have prayed believing that God hears me but now I can’t pray. I wake at midnight, try to pray but I don’t have the words, wake up at 2 am, same wake up at 4 am still can’t pray. I just can’t stop the tears and watching my child stay at home when she’s supposed to be in school. It is really tough. Please pray for us.
I will pray for you, Ronnet. Do you belong to a church? Please seek help there. Or if you do not have a church ask around for a good Bible believing church and go to them. I am praying God answers your prayers in big ways.
Absolutely Beautiful.
Dear Yvonne,
I don’t know if you meant to send this yesterday on a Friday afternoon, but it sure came exactly when I needed it. Thank you for your willingness to be God’s vessel for blessing so many. Sending hugs.
I didn’t. I’m not quite sure what happened. But I’m so glad the Lord used it for YOU!
Yvonne, thank you so much. Thank you for encouraging us in our faith, I appreciate you.
Thank you, Yvonne,
what a blessing!! ? Ginny
Thank you, Yvonne. Blessings to you, may you have a beautiful Sunday!
Thank you for this post and your encouragement. I’ve been a believer my whole life, and yet sometimes I’m so busy that I don’t take time to pray. You have sparked in me a desire to dig deeper in my relationship with Christ and renew my commitment to follow Him more closely.
May you be blessed today and always.
I so needed these words this morning. I have a dear friend whose 30 yr old daughter is fighting aggressive breast cancer. Some days I am at a loss in praying for her open handed. Love the Luke reference.
Hi JoAnn, I am so sorry! May God’s grace, comfort and mercy be in the center of her struggles.
Beautiful helps!!! I find it amazing and comforting that the Holy Spirit is actually IN US. Jesus said that He was sending the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) to be IN US and lead us into all truths, and that the Holy Spirit would disclose all truths to us. So, He’s actually IN US cooperating with Jesus, Who sits at the right Hand of the Father interceding for us. What an amazing and formidable Divine Partnership! And because of that Partnership, WE get to participate in the Godhead’s Divine Plan for us and the world. Oh, yes, and They sent us Gifts to help. One of which Paul talked about quite a lot saying that he wished WE ALL DID IT AS MUCH AS HIM. Hmmmm….
Amen, Deb!
Thankful for this timely post. Maybe my favorite of all your posts. May God bless you.
You are welcome, Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!
I needed this today. Thank you
You are welcome, God bless you, Pam.
Thank you for this wonderful reminder and your encouragement. It came just when I need it.
We buried our daughter almost two weeks ago, after having waited three weeks to get her body back from the British Virgin Islands, where she was vacationing. Unbelievable red tape.
Then, this week we found out my husband has Stage 4 lung cancer and will soon be starting chemotherapy. I know God is faithful, but lately I’ve found it hard to find the words I’m trying to express in my prayers. May God bless you as you bless others with your articles.
I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter. God bless you and comfort you. And I pray for God’s healing hand on your husband. I am praying for your.
Thank you so much, Yvonne! This is so encouraging to me! I do believe in the power of prayer, even when God seems silent at times. I know that He is always the answer.
How wonderful that you are bathed in the Truth! It’s so lovely to read your comment.
Thank you Yvonne for your words of encouragement and your reminding us of His word.
This is my pleasure, Cindy!
Thank you!