How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say
Have you ever wanted to pray but simply didn’t know what to say?
Maybe you’ve heard someone pray beautifully and thought, I could never pray like that. Or perhaps you’ve wondered if you’re saying the right words or praying the right way.
Here’s something I want you to remember:
You don’t have to be good at praying to pray. You just have to start talking to God.
Prayer isn’t about having perfect words. It’s about relationship. And just like any relationship, the more time you spend talking with someone, the more natural the conversation becomes.
Prefer to Watch?
In this week’s Everyday Matters with Daleen video, I’m sharing a simple message about prayer—especially for anyone who has ever wondered, How do I pray when I don’t know what to say?
Jesus Made Time to Pray
Luke 5:15–16 tells us that as the news about Jesus spread, crowds gathered to hear Him and to be healed.
The Scripture says:
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Luke 5:16
Jesus had people waiting for Him. There were needs everywhere. There was ministry to do.
And yet, He withdrew and prayed. Jesus knew He needed to get time alone with God. I can feel a difference in my life when I prioritize prayer. The anointing is stronger when you spend time in the presence of God.
Prayer wasn’t simply something Jesus did when He had a problem. Spending time with the Father was part of His life.
If Jesus made prayer a priority, shouldn’t we?
Sometimes we can become so busy doing things even good things that we forget to stop and spend time with God.
Prayer brings us back into that place of fellowship with Him.
You Learn to Pray by Praying
I like to think of learning to pray as a little bit like on-the-job training.
We can read about prayer. We can listen to teachings about prayer. We can hear other people pray.
But ultimately, we learn to pray by praying.
Think about a little child learning to talk.When children first begin speaking, they don’t pronounce every word correctly. Their sentences aren’t perfect. Sometimes only their parents can understand what they’re trying to say!But we don’t tell them, “Don’t talk until you can say everything perfectly.”
We encourage them to keep talking, and the more they talk, the better they become at communicating.
Our prayer life can grow the same way.
Don’t wait until you think you know how to pray perfectly.
Start talking to God, today! He is waiting on you!
The more you pray, the more natural prayer becomes.
The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray
You aren’t learning to pray by yourself.
Romans 8:26 tells us:
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness…”
There will be times when you don’t know what to say. You may be hurting so badly that you don’t even know how to put your feelings into words.
God understands.
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and helps us pray.
So if all you can say is, “Father, I need You,” that’s a prayer.
Start there.
Remember Who You’re Talking To
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He began with these words:
“Our Father in heaven…”
Matthew 6:9
Those words are important.
Jesus is teaching us Who we’re talking to.
Our Father.
Through Jesus, we aren’t approaching God as strangers trying to convince Him to listen to us. We can come to Him as His children.
And we’re not praying to a powerless God.
We are praying to our Father in heaven.
Where we place our attention can change the way we pray.
Colossians 3:1–2 says:
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is… Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Second Corinthians 4:18 also reminds us to look beyond what we can see because the things we see are temporary, while the things we cannot see are eternal.
Our circumstances may be very real, but they aren’t greater than God.
When we pray, we can lift our attention from the size of our problem to the greatness of our Father.
God is still on the throne.
Prayer Doesn’t Have to Sound Religious
Sometimes we make prayer harder than it needs to be.
You can simply tell God what’s on your heart.
“Father, I’m worried.”
“Lord, I don’t know what to do.”
“Jesus, thank You for helping me.”
“Father, give me wisdom.”
“God, I’m hurting today.”
“Lord, help me forgive.”
“Thank You for this beautiful day.”
Those are prayers.
You don’t have to sound like anyone else.
God isn’t looking for a performance. He wants you.
Jesus even told His disciples in John 15:15:
“I have called you friends.”
There is closeness available with God.
You can talk to Him.
You Can Pray Throughout Your Day
First Thessalonians 5:17 gives us one of the shortest instructions about prayer:
“Never stop praying.”
That doesn’t mean we have to spend every waking moment kneeling beside our beds.
Prayer can become an ongoing conversation with God throughout our day.
You can pray while you’re driving.
You can talk to God while you’re getting ready in the morning.
Before a difficult conversation, you can quietly say, “Lord, give me wisdom.”
When someone comes to mind, you can pray for them.
When something wonderful happens, you can immediately say, “Thank You, Jesus.”
And when something goes wrong, your first response can become, “Father, help me.”
The more you do this, the less prayer feels like something you have to remember to do and the more it becomes part of your relationship with God.
Just Talk to God
If you’re new to prayer, don’t make it complicated.
You could start today with something as simple as:
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You that I can come to You because of Jesus. I don’t always know what to say, but I want to know You better. Holy Spirit, teach me to pray. Help me recognize Your presence throughout my day and keep my heart and mind focused on You.I ask you give me peace and comfort. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
That’s prayer.
You don’t need perfect words.
You don’t need a certain tone of voice.
You don’t have to pray as long as somebody else does.
Just talk to God.
And then keep talking to Him.
The more you pray, the more you will learn to pray.
Today’s Encouragement
Don’t let the fear of not knowing how keep you from praying.
Start right where you are.
Talk to God for five minutes today (or longer if you want). Tell Him what you’re thankful for. Tell Him what’s worrying you. Ask Him for help. Worship Him. Or simply sit quietly in His presence.
Prayer isn’t about impressing God.
It’s about knowing Him.
Challenge for the Day
Take a few moments today and put everything else aside.
Turn your attention toward your Father and simply begin talking to Him.
Don’t worry about whether you’re doing it perfectly.
Just start.
Because one of the best ways to learn to pray is simply to pray.
Every day matters because you matter to God.