Prayer & FastingSample

It's okay not to know how to pray. Some of the most profound and deep prayers are found when we are at a loss for words. So when you don't know how to pray, or you don't know what to pray for, the Bible offers a few solutions: sit in silence or follow a blueprint. This isn't an exclusive list, but both of these help us to engage with God through prayer even when we are at a loss for words.

Silence is one of the most powerful ways to pray. Paul teaches us in Romans 8 that through our weakness of not knowing what to pray about, the Holy Spirit searches our hearts. Even when we don't have any words, we can still pray. Prayer is not barred by the burden of having to come up with the right words; instead, it is an invitation to be transformed by God. We are invited to simply sit with God and let Him slowly mold and shape us. This is not to say that words are unimportant or useless in prayer; instead, we are seeing that God is not only accessible to us through words. By sitting with God in silence, we are participating with the Spirit of God to intercede for the things deep within our hearts.

Another avenue is to follow a blueprint. The Bible is littered with examples of how to pray. The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 prayers, the prophets hold powerful examples of petition and intercession, and the New Testament is full of beautifully crafted prayers. One of these blueprints is the Lord’s prayer found in Matthew 6. This is a prayer given to us by Jesus to teach us how we ought to pray. To follow a blueprint like this, you don't need to do anything more than simply pray what is on the page. Praying like this teaches you how to pray and fills you with words to use.

So as you pray this week, you will probably be at a loss for words. So when you reach this place, sit in silence and let the Spirit of God search your heart. When you don't know how to pray about something, follow the example of the saints before us and pray as they prayed. And through this prayer, let God transform you, your community, and our world.