Praying in the Hard Times

We've all been there.  Hard times hit and for those of us who believe in the power of prayer and have experienced its amazing work in our lives, we know that what we need to do is come before God and lay our requests/cares/concerns out to Him.

But what happens when you just don't have the words to pray?

Well, as the one popular Christian song says, "Just say 'Jesus'."

It works.  And so does just being silent before the Lord.  Hands raised, knees bent, face down on the floor - no matter what your position may be, God hears and knows the hurts and concerns of our heart.

As I have shared before, prayer is something that comes rather naturally to me.  I sometimes feel like I have a constant running dialogue in my head with God.  Now some would question if I am just talking to myself - and perhaps sometimes that is true - but truly, I do feel like most of the time, I am not just talking to myself.  Because of that natural inclination, I usually don't find myself without words to pray - but there are times, and even some recently - where there are literally no words that come to mind.  No words.  I know then that I just need to find a quiet place and sit at His feet and wait.

The other day, my husband asked why I wasn't praying (selfishly, I might add) for something specifically that would impact our church and us personally - and I told him that I really have a hard time praying selfishly any more... inasmuch as I might want to pray for things selfishly, some of the first words that pop into my head and out my mouth now are "Your will be done, Lord."  The results of those prayers might be painful, or sorrowful to us personally, but I have found that when I do pray and even receive things that I thought I wanted so badly, they more often than not turn out to be not what I was really wanting or needing and are oftentimes more harmful in the long run.  From those experiences I have learned to pray less selfishly. I have learned that God is bigger and better and wants what is best for us - even when we might like it. In those moments - which might be longer than moments, but years - we are being molded and stretched and even chiseled into who God wants us to be.  And molding, stretching and chiseling - those things are not exactly comfortable or pleasant.  

Yet God knows what's best.

So if you find yourself in one of those times when you don't understand why you are having to go through what you are going through or what the purpose of your particular challenge is in that moment - pray.  If you don't have the words, then just be silent.  Find a friend who will pray for you.  Read God's word.  Listen to music.  Go for a hike or a walk.  Be mindful of what is happening around you and don't let yourself fall into bad habits or patterns.  And be willing to allow God to work on you. 

Be free, my friends.
M