When You Don't Know What to Pray

I was sitting on my couch just a few days ago when I decided to pray scripture over a loved one and not even fifteen minutes later, my prayer was answered for them through a phone call.

This might sound farfetched, and to me, the one who experienced it…admittedly it felt a little too good to be true. I was sitting in the living room, bible open, heart heavy with a desire and tug to pray for this individual…and yet I felt at a loss for words. I felt stuck, and frankly a little frustrated. Every time I opened my mouth to pray for them, nothing would come. My desire to obey the Lord, yet the inability to form a prayer left me feeling incapable with what God was asking of me. So, I wrestled with myself for a bit, asked God to give me the words, and He did.

Just not in the way I was expecting Him to.

Instead of the Lord giving me words to speak and intercess on behalf of this individual in a way I was used to, I felt the Lord press me to look down at the bible in my hands and pray for this person using scripture itself. Using His words. So, I flipped a page or two and after reading through multiple passages and scriptures that i felt made sense, i ended up somewhere in the middle of Romans and felt the Lord nudge me to stop on a particular passage. Once I read through it, I have to say, I was a little confused as to why He wanted this one. While I know all scripture is profitable, I felt almost as if maybe I had misheard the Lord.

Yet the more I read through it, the more it just started to feel right.

So, I put my own understanding aside and prayed this particular passage out loud for this individual. Once I was finished…I sat in silence. Nothing really felt different, except for where frustration was previously, the peace of the Lord had moved in and I knew that even if I didn’t understand, I had done the right thing. Expecting nothing necessarily to happen, I continued sitting with the Lord in my quiet time.

Not even ten minutes later, the Lord answered my scripture led prayer through a phone call that left me in awe of Gods goodness and patient ear.

Now, I will say this hasn’t been my experience every time I decide to pray scripture, and not only that, it was the Holy Spirit who caused the will of God to be enacted in this person’s life. My obedience and faith were where my part began and ended. The Lord, thankfully, used it. Many times, I’ve prayed scripture over myself or others, and there haven’t been an immediate shift or answer like the one I received a few days ago. More often than not, I’ve learned that it’s a continual and intentional season of prayer and wisdom before the fruit springs forth.

Yet in both circumstances I have learned a valuable, irreplicable lesson. Through obedience, faith, and trust, when we suddenly feel as if we don’t have the words to say, regardless of whether or not our hearts are burdened with our task of prayer or feeling numb and cold, praying scripture is powerful.

It is coming into agreement directly with The Word of God and His promises. And this is how mountains shift, healing begins, and faith increases.

Which brings to remembrance this passage below:

Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Sometimes when we’re in a place of feeling stuck in our prayers, it can be easy to become frustrated with ourselves. We aim to have all the answers or abilities sometimes, and forget than in moments, days, or seasons where we feel lacking, God sees as an opportunity to fill the empty space with Himself.

His wisdom
His knowledge
His provision
His love

Praying scripture can look like one verse, an entire passage, or more, and carries with it the benefit of sourcing our words directly from The Word, which as Hebrews declares, pierces and divides and discerns and works in both the physical and the supernatural. It releases us and our own knowledge, wisdom, ability, and solely focuses on Gods. It causes us to learn to lean on Him and trust Him in an invaluable way and also begins to further imprint God’s word on our hearts. Praying scripture has been one of the things God has used recently to remind me that I’m not supposed to have all the answers or wisdom or even the right words to say.

Below is a scripture to encourage you in this endeavor and propel you in your faith in learning to trust and lean on the Lord, even when you don’t understand and feel lacking.

Psalms 119:105-108
Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
I have suffered much;
preserve my life, Lord, according to your word.
Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.


Prayer:
“Lord, I thank you that Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much Lord, preserve my life, Lord, according to your word. Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws Lord. Amen”