Just last week, I watched my college town and the Blue Ridge Mountains that have served as my second home be decimated by Hurricane Helene. Even as I type this, another hurricane, category 4 storm Milton, is just hours away from slamming into Florida’s shoreline and is expected to bring catastrophic devastation. We are a matter of weeks away from one of the most polarizing and (dare I say) exhausting elections in America’s history. Wars are escalating in the Middle East. My heart is pulled in one thousand directions and breaking for a handful of reasons and this doesn’t even include any personal problems, like the new roof and AC unit our house needs or the fact that my eldest daughter has outgrown her pants and needs a winter coat. You have your own version of this top paragraph don’t you? Together, we are reading the news headlines and scrolling on social media and our souls are shattering. People need help. Maybe even we ourselves need help. We want to pray but this is all so overwhelming. So, where do we start? This isn’t like we’re asking Jesus for a nice car. None of those shiny things have any significance at all right now. These are matters of life or death. This is survival. How do we find words to wrap up our devastating and divisive moment in order to bring it all to the feet of Jesus? What do we say when we don’t know what to pray anymore? God isn’t rocked by the devastation of our hearts. He can handle it and hold it. He knew we would reach these gut-wrenching spaces in life and that’s why He gave us ways to talk to Him, even when we don’t know how. Here are three ways we can pray when we don’t have the words: 1. Pray by reading scripture. This is my first go-to because I know that God cannot deny himself. If scripture says it, it’s true. We can always pray the Word with confidence. Most Bibles have a concordance or index where you can search for specific words or themes. So, flip there and start looking for passages that reflect what you’re feeling or going through. Another option is to open to Psalms and Proverbs. I’m convinced there is a psalm or proverb for everything. Borrow God’s Word and read it back to Him as your own because “the words that come out of my mouth (will) not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them. (Isaiah 55:11, MSG)” 2. Pray by borrowing the words of someone else. Now, use your discernment here. We want to make sure these words are in line with scripture and that this person knows what they’re talking about. But, when you have a friend, leader, pastor or are reading a prayer from a sound Bible teacher, we can echo their prayers. When I am at a loss for words, I send a text to my family members and some friends and ask them to pray. Their words are powerful because things change when we pray together for “a threestand cord is not quickly broken.(Ecclesiastes 4:12, NIV)” Group prayer is a balm to our soul because we know we are not alone. 3. Pray by allowing the Holy Spirit to pray for you. The Bible explains this so well in Romans 8:26-27 when it says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (NIV).” Be willing to sit in the silence and feel your heart as it breaks and grieves. Instead of worrying about telling God how you feel, invite the Holy Spirit into that moment. He knows your heart better than you do. He can sift through all those complicated emotions and lift what’s heavy. Our wordless sighs and streaming tears are prayers in and of themselves. This is such an incredibly hard season for us here in America, especially in the south. We don’t just want to see miracles, we need to see them. We are desperate. But we cannot afford to allow that desperation to separate us from God. We must allow it to draw us closer to His presence and lead us into His arms. Romans 8:27 continues on to so pointedly say, “(Holy Spirit) knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (MSG) ” Keep allowing the Spirit to keep you close to God in this complicated season. Every detail is significant to God and our tragedies and struggles are not lost to Him. He is working on something good if we will be brave and hopeful enough to persevere in prayer until we see it. Think about it:
Our Prayer: Lord, I too am struggling to find words for all of the heartbreak we’re beholding. So, I’m going to pray these scriptures over us as we seek you through all the rubble and struggle… "So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10 "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him…" -Nahum 1:7 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33 "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." -Psalm 18:2 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6 We pray your Word and seek you God. In Jesus name, Amen
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AuthorKaley Rivera Thompson is an author, copywriter, Bible teacher, speaker, and worship leader. When she's not championing other women, cheering on the rising generation, writing or playing her guitar, Kaley loves to sip strong coffee, go on hikes, or take a day trip to the mountains with her family. She takes the most pride in being a mom to three little girls, Lina, Lili and Ceci. You can follow her on instagram at @kriverathompson or find out more on her website at kriverathompson.com. Archives
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