Oct 18 2008
When You Don’t Know What to Pray
We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Romans 8: 26-27
Have you ever not known what to pray for, or even how to pray? When we see someone in pain, or causing pain to us or to loved ones, or we struggle with a situation, or we can’t understand WHY the bad stuff happens - that’s when the Holy Spirit prays for us and with us.
It’s okay to admit we don’t know how to pray. We always want to pray God’s will be done, but we don’t always know what His will is for every circumstance.
Sometimes when I’ve been praying, a thought will just “pop into my head” that I had never thought before. Usually it’s the Holy Spirit directing my prayers.
Just this morning, I woke with someone in my thoughts. He is a business acquaintance - we’ve never actually met, although we’ve exchanged emails a time or two, and we’re members of the same organizations. But this morning when I woke with him on my brain, I knew I was to pray for him. He has remained in my thoughts throughout the day, so I continue to pray. I have NO IDEA what I’m supposed to pray for this man, so I let the Holy Spirit guide me. Protection has been a biggie, as has guidance, so I wonder if he’s possibly about to make some decision that perhaps the enemy may not like. So I continue to pray.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever had an old grade school friend just appear in your thoughts “for no reason?” Or perhaps a celebrity. I tend to get lots of celebrities. Once, the Lord put this young man in my prayers - he is a regular “side-kick” on many family shows, but never the main star. I wondered why in the world I was thinking about him, and the Lord said, “Pray.” So I prayed, and thought that was over with. But it wasn’t. Every day for a couple of months, I was instructed to pray for this young man. All sorts of different prayers, most of them pretty “ordinary” for an actor. I still don’t know the purpose, but I prayed.
I have learned that I may not ever see whether my prayers “accomplished” anything or not. I finally heard God say that was okay, too. It is my obedience to pray when I’m led that matters most. So if God tells you to pray for someone - whether you’ve met them or not - just pray!
Father God, we praise you and we worship you. Thank you for Jesus, our Salvation, and thank you for the Holy Spirit, our Helper. Use our prayer times, Lord, to allow us to intercede for others, and when we don’t know what to pray, please allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. Thank you for your Word and for your wisdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
7 Responses to “When You Don’t Know What to Pray”
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I try to be sensitive to those moments when God suddenly lays someone on my heart. I just tell God that I’m not sure why, but HE knows and I ask for Him to be in that situation and to let that person know that He is in their situation. I don’t often know the why, but I know if He wants me to pray, I should!
~Tanya
the4moyers(at)msn(dot)com
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I love that in the BM study Stepping Up she says you need to go down to go up. I feel so much better after praying by laying down on the ground!
I always try to pray for others when I approach the Lord. If I ask God for direction/guidence or to help me through a rough situation, I also thank him for something I am grateful to have. It could range from food on the table and a roof over my head to the health of my baby girl.