How to Pray When You Have No Words
Audela Study Desk · 6 min read
Loading Romans 8:26…
Romans 8:26
Paul does not treat wordlessness as a disqualification from prayer. He treats it as the ordinary condition in which the Spirit works.
Borrow the words of the psalms
The psalter contains roughly seventy laments. They exist so that you do not have to invent language for grief while grieving.
Open Psalm 13, 42, 88 or 130 and read them aloud slowly. Let the text pray on your behalf until your own voice returns.
Pray in one sentence
'Lord, have mercy.' 'Help.' 'I am here.' Brevity is not weakness; Jesus warned against many words, not few.
Write, do not perform
A notebook removes the pressure of fluency. Write the request, the date, and one line of thanks. Return to the page in a month.
Continue in the deep library
Study this further
Verse 26 in its full context, where the Spirit intercedes with groanings that cannot be uttered.
A full Scripture study on whether and how God hears.
Read next
Devotionals
A Morning Liturgy for Anxious Days
Five minutes, four movements: read, name, ask, thank. A simple pattern for days that start heavy.
Devotionals
Mercies New Every Morning
Lamentations was written in the ruins of a burned city. Its most hopeful line sits in the middle of the rubble.
Christian Living
Quiet Faithfulness in an Ordinary Week
Most of the Christian life is not dramatic. It is Tuesday. Scripture takes Tuesday seriously.
Community
Reflections
No reflections yet. Be the first to share one.
The Sunday Study
One deep study, every week.
Verse-by-verse teaching with historical context, and a prayer to close. Nothing else in the email.