Guides

How to pray when you do not know what to say

Some days you sit down to pray and nothing comes out. That is not a sign of weak faith. Prayer is not a speech: it is a conversation, and a conversation can start very small.

Start by giving thanks for one thing

Just one. The warm coffee, someone who called, having woken up. Giving thanks for one concrete thing unlocks the rest of the conversation.

Tell the truth, the way it is

The psalms are full of tired, frightened and even angry people talking to God. You can say exactly how you are, without dressing it up.

Use a verse as your prayer

When words are missing, borrow the Bible’s. Read a verse quietly and turn it into a request: “Lord, keep my heart in peace.”

Keep a set time

Two minutes at the same time every day teach more than an hour once in a while. And if you can, ask someone to pray for you: it is not weakness, it is what community is for.

Bible verses about peace

“I leave you peace; my own peace I give you.”

John 14:27

“God's peace, which is beyond all understanding, will guard your heart.”

Philippians 4:7

“Do not worry about anything; in everything, bring your requests to God in prayer.”

Philippians 4:6

“You keep in peace the one whose mind stays firm, because they trust in you.”

Isaiah 26:3