When Prayer seems Wordless

“When you pray, rather let your heart without words
than your words without heart.” (John Bunyan, translated into today’s English)

Friends, perhaps you need a prayer today. Examinations coming soon, loaded of works need to be done, love ones lying on hospital bed, broken relationship, fear of the unknown, or perhaps you just need a prayer; simply a prayer. So you begin with, “Dear Lord… ummm… err… Dear Lord…” suddenly mental black-out. Words seem to be absence from your lips. It was there, but you don’t remember or you remember but hesitate to say it or you’re not hesitating but it just couldn’t come out. “Ah…” you inhaled the air; “huh…” you exhaled it back. Nothing seems to change – still no word.

Mind you, I have been there before, often, very often. Not that I don’t know what I want to pray for, I know, but I just couldn’t express it in words – sigh. Nor that I’m too afraid to say or assume that God doesn’t hear my prayer, I’m just wordless – sigh. My mind is on Him; what a peace but somehow my tongue tied – sigh.

Are we on the same road now? Have you been there before? You do???

Here is the good news – you are praying. In that silent, wordless moment; you are praying. “Prayer is not primarily saying words or thinking thoughts” explained Richard Rohr, “It is, rather, a stance. It’s a way of living in the Presence.” We often associate prayer with the words we say. Why not? In the Church we always heard our pastor prayed outstanding long and powerful prayers. In prayer meeting we heard people, especially the older ones prayed like reading book. We heard Christian leaders sing songs of worship and ‘pray until it reached to the sky’. No wonder when you couldn’t say a single word, you make a conclusion that – “I don’t know how to pray”.

You do. God Spirit is helping you to pray. What a wonderful God He is! Because I don’t know the deep longing of my heart – I don’t even know: Me – but God does! So it is with my need in prayer.  

Today if you don’t have words to say, do not be discouraged. Quiet your minds quiet your body, breathe deeply. Don’t need to inform God what you would like done in your life, not this time [There are times for all of the above. You don’t have to say long winded prayer if you really have nothing to say]. Just enjoy one another: you and God without conversation, being with God without wordiness.

“… God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along.
If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter.
He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves,
knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God.”
(Romans 8:26-27 The Message)

THINK BIG Heart without word is more important than word without heart.
START SMALL Listen, Quiet down, Breathe deeply.
GO DEEP As for today, do nothing – let God’s Spirit do the prayer for you. 

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To read more one prayer, click below picture: