Prayer and Meditation

3 Tips for Praying When You Don’t Know What to Pray

You don't always have to say something

God doesn’t expect you to talk every time you go to spend time with Him. He just wants you to be there.(Photo: Pixabay)

1. Go As You Were Created

Being who you are is the foundation of any great relationship, whether it’s a friendship, loveship or partnership. When we're talking about a relationship with the creator of Heaven and earth, we must be able to be ourselves so we can better express our needs and desires. You are able to connect genuinely with a person when you are yourself.

When you feel called to spend time with God or you need to talk to God, it’s important to go as you are. It’s important to go as uniquely as He made you. You must feel comfortable going to God, no matter where you are and how you feel. If you feel like a mess, go like a mess. Let Him see the mess so He can know how to help you clean it up.

God cares for you. Let Him know what’s happening. Let Him know how scared you’ve been and how you trust Him to give you the strength to carry on. God is all-knowing and already knows your heart, so acting differently than you feel creates a disconnect.

There’s a disconnect when you don't trust God enough to go to Him just as He created you. He created your personality. He made you different so that there’s no one quite like you. Your personality glorifies Him and there’s no need for facades. There's no need to wear a mask when talking to God. He knows you from the inside out. It’s safe to remove the mask when you sit down with God so he can see your face. There’s no need to change who you are or how you feel to impress Him.

Relate to Him as you see Him. How do you see God? If you see him as your father, talk to Him like you’ll talk to your father. If you see God as a trusted friend, put your faith and trust in Him. Speak with him like you would your best friend in the whole wide world if He’s your best friend in the whole wide world. This makes your relationship with Him more personal, which will be helpful to your testimony.

God cares for you. Let Him know what's happening. Let Him know how scared you've been and how you trust Him to give you strength to carry on.

2. Read The Word

God helps those who obey and live according to His will. God set rules and laws for the Israelites to follow. He made laws for us to live by. These are the universal laws that keep order on the planet. If you don’t know God’s word, then you won’t know what God says and expects from you. You won’t know if you are living according to His will or if you’re going against Him.

Before you ask God to come down and have mercy on you, take a moment to understand what God has said about your situation. Does the situation please and glorify God? Does it make Him angry that He’d want to open the floodgates and rain on you?

If you don’t know the words in the bible, you can’t remind God of His word. When life is hard and you feel all alone battling with the thoughts in your head, you can remind God that His word said in 2 Timothy 1:7 that He has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind. Ask God for a sound mind because He promised it to you. Ask Him to help you calm your thoughts. Tell Him it’s not in his Laws for you to be anxious and worried all the time.

Pray according to His word and stand by it and He will hear you as long as you obey and do what He says. Prayer is your weapon against your anxious thoughts. Read God’s word back to Him.

If you don’t know the words in the bible, you can’t remind God of His word.

3. Present With Thanksgiving

God said in Philippians that you should not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. There’s always something to be thankful for even when you don't have a sound mind.

Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessing and you’ll see what God has done. The fertile soil that grows your food is a blessing to be thankful for. The water is life. There’s air to breathe and keep you cool and there fire in your heart that warms you up. Count every one of them and say thanks. Say, “Thank you, God, thank you for providing.”

Think of all the parts of life that still feel good, like going for a walk or taking a nice hot bath. Thank God for the music. Thank God for the little children. Thank Him for the light that is coming in the morning. Miracles happen every day, and gratitude is a magnet for miracles. Gratitude is the right attitude. Show Him.

Sometimes when you go to talk, you can’t find the right words. Sometimes the words don’t flow and you can’t express how you’re truly feeling. Honor those feelings. If you don’t have the words to pray, let Him know that and just say thanks. It's okay to not know what to say. God doesn't expect you to talk every time you go to spend time with Him. He just wants you to be there. Your presence is enough for Him.

Change the game and take some time to check in with God. Don't ask for anything, just ask how He’s feeling okay today. Ask what He’s up to and how you can help. Ask if He needs help delivering someone else’s miracle. See if He has something to say to you. Be still and listen for His voice.

Sometimes prayer is simply sitting in silence. It's meditating and listening for the voice of God coming from your heart. Listening is a part of prayer. Don’t make it a habit of dumping your burdens on God and running. Wait in meditation.

Listen for what He has to say. Listen for the updates He has for you. Listen when He says yes. Listen when He loves you enough to say no. Give thanks and then be on your way to living the life He created for you to live.

Sometimes prayer is simply sitting in silence.

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