Lately, I have had many life changes where I have found myself without the words to pray. Yes, I know that prayer is powerful, and I am a firm believer in the fact that God answers prayer. But have you ever found yourself not being able to pray? You simply just don’t know what to say or don’t have the emotional ability to talk to God.
The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to “Pray without ceasing”. However, what do you do when your head tells you to pray, but you just can’t find the words to pray. That’s when my most powerful prayers have been spoken.
Back in April, my mom called me on a Saturday afternoon to let me know that she and my dad were at the hospital. They thought dad had suffered a heart attack and they were on their way to a bigger hospital via ambulance. I immediately got in the car and headed to the hospital, just a little over an hour away. By the time I got to see dad, the doctor said that he was in septic shock from pneumonia, and he would not make it through the night. To say we were shocked would be an understatement. As my family stood beside my dad’s bed, I simply didn’t know how to pray. Should I pray for healing? Should I pray that dad’s suffering would end quickly? All I could utter was the simple prayer of, “God, I trust You!” Eleven hours after dad walked into the ER, he walked through the pearly gates of Heaven!
Fast forward about 5 weeks. My mom called me one morning and said she had fallen out of bed and had a crick in her neck. Two days later, I took her to the doctor where we found out she had fractured her top two vertebrae and had to have surgery. After spending a week in the hospital, she was transferred back to her hometown to go to a rehab facility for physical therapy. It was so difficult to see my once vibrant mom have many moments of confusion, lack of strength and even lost the ability to feed herself. I found myself in my quiet time not knowing what to say to God. I simply prayed the same prayer: “I trust you God!” However, it was during this time that I learned that when I couldn’t pray, I called out to friends and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they were standing in the gap for me. My life group ladies were such an integral part of getting us through those difficult days. They prayed with me through the darkest days and rejoiced with me when we saw days of progress!
Four days after getting out of rehab for a broken neck, my mom fell off my porch and broke her hip. After surgery, she was sent to rehab again and a few days later, slid out of her chair and rebroke her hip. Once again, I reached out to my lifegroup to pray, because I simply didn’t have the emotional capacity to do it for myself.
Mom is in a better place physically for now and looking back, I know that the most powerful prayers were prayed by people who love me. People who I trust. People who will pray when they say they will. People who have a genuine concern for my family even though they have never met most of my family. People who love Jesus and believe in prayer!
So, if you find yourself in a place where you simply don’t have the emotional ability to pray, start by simply saying, “God, I trust you!” Then reach out to other people who you know will stand in the gap for you. Trust me, it’s the only thing that will get you through some days.
We want to thank Vickie Young for sharing this post.
Women's Ministry 