What Do I Pray When I Don't Know What to Say?

Prayer is simply a conversation with God. That's it.

We don't need eloquent words, King James English, or a bunch of thees and thous. Just talk.

Think about it. God created us and everything in this world. Surely, He understands our words. In fact, Psalm 139:4 tells us He knows what we're going to say before we even say it.

So why pray if He already knows?

Because prayer is about more than asking God for things. It's part of building a relationship with Him.

We can start by thanking Him for what He's already done. We can tell Him what's bothering us or what's keeping us up at night. We can admit where we've gone wrong and ask for forgiveness. Maybe we're trying to figure out whether to take a job, pursue a relationship, or go back to school. We can ask Him for guidance. We can pray for someone else, too.

And we can talk to Him when things are going well. Prayer doesn't have to begin with a problem.

But how do we know He's listening?

Sometimes we pray and nothing seems to happen. We start wondering if God even hears us.

His Word tells us He does. First John 5:14 reminds us that we can have confidence that God hears us when we ask according to His will.

That doesn't mean every prayer will be answered the way we want or when we want. And just because we don't see an answer doesn't mean God isn't listening.

We also have to remember that prayer isn't about convincing God to give us everything we ask for. It's about trusting Him, even when His answer is different from what we hoped for. We can ask for what we want while also asking Him to help us accept His will.

So, if you don't know what to pray, start with what you have.

"God, I don't know what to say, but I need You."

That's a prayer, too!