8 Things to Pray When You Don't Know What to Say
April 29, 2016
8 Things to Pray
For those who are new to their faith, prayer can seem daunting and overwhelming. How do I talk to God? What does that even mean? Are there things I’m supposed to say? Are there things I’m not allowed to say? Is there a set prayer or do I just make one up? Even for those who have been in a relationship with the Lord for many years, prayer can still seem challenging for a whole host of reasons. It can get stale, feel useless, fall to the wayside, or just seem to lose its power. [rsnippet id="3" name="Article-Ad"] So what do we do when we need new words to pray? How we can we revitalize our prayer lives? Here are 8 things to pray. Pray through passages of Scripture. The book of Psalms are an excellent place to start-- there are psalms for when our souls feel troubled (Psalm 6), for when we are filled with joy (Psalm 30), for when we are praising His deeds (Psalm 66), for when we desire revival (Psalm 85), for when we need help (Psalm 109), and for all other emotions we experience as well. Here are five other powerful prayers straight from Scripture. Pray the words of hymns or contemporary modern music. So many hymns come from Scripture, and the poetic way that hymns present themes of our faith is a beautiful way to pray. You can find a whole collection of hymns here and modern worship music videos here. Pray through journaling. This is something I’ve found personally to be extremely helpful-- journaling my prayers, as random or rambling as they may be, helps me focus on what I’m saying and process through my emotions. An added bonus of journaling prayer is being able to look back over them and see how the Lord has answered and moved in your life. RELATED: These 9 Prayers Can Restore Your Marriage. Pray as you dwell on one word. If the idea of prayer is overwhelming, choose just one word to focus on. Maybe it’s “peace” or “grace” or “strength.” Think about what that word means, remember verses or songs you have heard that include that word, think about what that word means for you in your faith, and ask God to show you new things about that word. Prayer doesn’t need to be lengthy or complicated. It can be as simple as just focusing on one word and praying something like, “Lord, I need peace. I want peace. Show me what peace looks like. May I experience more of Your peace this week.” Pray in questions. Sometimes, the questions about faith or who God is or why things have happened in our lives seem overwhelming. It can be hard to get past them to feel like we can actually pray...but why not pray those questions and take them to God? You don’t have to have any answers, and you might not even feel like your questions are immediately answered, but just honestly come before the Lord and list all of your doubts, worries, fears, uncertainty to him in prayer. Pray through the names of Jesus. There are so many names for the Lord all throughout Scripture, and when we don’t have words to pray, just speaking them can be a comfort to our souls. Abba Father (Galatians 4:6); Prince and Savior (Acts 5:31); Chosen One (Isaiah 42:1); King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15); Immanuel (Matthew 1:23); Stronghold, Refuge, Savior (2 Samuel 22:3); and the list continues. Say these names in prayer and think about what they mean for your life. Related: Here’s A List Of The Top 10 Prayers To Keep On Hand! Pray using the ACTS acrostic. This article from our archives by Greg Laurie gives a helpful acrostic for prayer: ACTS. A stands for adoration or worship. C stands for confession. T stands for thanksgiving. S stands for supplication. This is a helpful way of orienting ourselves in prayer and giving ourselves a simple blueprint to follow. [rsnippet id="2" name="ArticleAd-300x250-3"] Pray the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew 6:9-15 gives us a prayer straight from the mouth of Jesus. Read through these words and repeat them to yourself line by line. Read it in several translations (you can do this easily on our site) and compare the different ways they word this prayer. Write it out, reflect on it, and learn to memorize the famous words of this prayer.We hope you enjoyed these 8 things to pray. For more inspiration here is a prayer for strength to help when you are weak and weary.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Generosity toward Those in Need during Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 8
When we look at all that God has given us despite what we have done to him, it humbles us. It makes us want to give generously because he gave everything for us.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Generosity toward Those in Need during Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 8
When we look at all that God has given us despite what we have done to him, it humbles us. It makes us want to give generously because he gave everything for us.
Past Stories
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
- UPS Driver Jumps into Action As He Spots Elderly Woman on the Ground & Says It Was All God
- Rescuer Braces for the Worst After Spotting Kitten on the Side of the Road, Then Sees a Paw Move
- AJ Griffin Gives Up High-Paying Career with NBA to Follow God
- These Former Conjoined Twins Finally Go Home After Their First Birthday
- Teenager From Iowa Uses His Flying Skills to Help Hurricane Helene Victims
- Son Saves For 9 Months and Surprises Mom By Paying Off Her Mortgage
- Woman's Home is Surrounded By 100 Raccoons, and They Aren't Leaving Anytime Soon
- Dog Saves Her Owner's Life By Sitting in the Middle of the Road
- Widower Shares the Last Thing His Wife Told Their Son Before She Passed Away From Cancer
- A Nurse Saved Her Life 35 Years Ago, Now, She is Surprising Her With a Visit
- These Twin Sisters Have An Important Message To Share On Their 102nd Birthday
- This Brave 5-Year-Old Saved Her Mother's Life By Calling 911
- 79-Year-Old Broke Her Ankle After Scattering Her Mom's Ashes, Then Strangers Save the Day
- Dad Travels Through Mud and Debris to Walk His Daughter Down the Aisle
Top Artists
Top Music Videos
Brad Stine Has Issues Brad Stine’s Hysterical Take on Adam Naming the Animals is Pure Gold
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Gaither Vocal Band Gaither Vocal Band - Mary, Did You Know? [Live]
Kari Jobe Kari Jobe - Firm Foundation (He Won't) / Great Are You Lord
Riley Clemmons Riley Clemmons - Come Adore Him
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.