Guide
How to pray when you do not know what to say
A short guide for anyone who wants to pray and cannot find an opening line.
Most people who say they cannot pray mean they cannot find the right words. It is worth saying plainly that there are no right words. Prayer is not a form to be filled in correctly, and God is not standing by to mark it.
Matthew 6:6KJV
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
The instructions Jesus gave are shorter than most people expect.
Notice what is absent. No posture, no vocabulary, no minimum length. A room, a closed door, and honesty. That is the whole method.
If you need somewhere to start
- Say what is actually happening. Not the tidy version.
- Say what you want, even if you suspect you should want something better.
- Say what you are grateful for, if anything comes to mind. If nothing does, leave it.
- Say the same thing again tomorrow. Repetition is not a failure of imagination.
If nothing comes at all
Silence is a legitimate prayer, and Scripture treats it as one. Paul writes that when we do not know what to pray for, the Spirit does the praying, which suggests that arriving with nothing is anticipated rather than a problem.
Romans 8:26KJV
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Borrow the words
The Psalms were written to be used by people who did not write them. If you cannot start, read one out loud and let it be yours for the length of it.
Praying badly and praying regularly are compatible, and the second matters more than the first. Nobody becomes fluent in advance.