A Prayer Because You Don't Know How to Pray Anymore - Your Daily Prayer - July 8

A Prayer Because You Don't Know How to Pray Anymore
By Rachel Wojo

Bible Reading:
"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. 'I have had enough, Lord,' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.' Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep." 1 Kings 19:3-5 NIV

Listen or Read Below:

Elijah had just called down fire from heaven. Can you imagine that? He had outrun a chariot. As someone who has run a half-marathon, I can’t wrap my head around that. He watched God show up in one of the most dramatic displays of power recorded in all of Scripture. But a few verses later, he was sitting under a broom bush in the wilderness, asking God to let him die.

Jezebel’s death wish over him was his tipping point.

Have you ever told God the same thing, maybe in different words? Something like: Lord, I've had enough.

When I think about his prayer, I feel like he was a man who had nothing left to say and said it anyway.

But I find it interesting that Elijah didn't stop talking to God when the words ran out. He didn't wait until he had something more composed to bring. He brought the wreckage of what was left, sat down under a bush, and said the most honest thing he could find.  God didn't rebuke him for it. No, He sent an angel with food to Elijah and told him to sleep.

The first thing God did when Elijah had no words was take care of his physical needs: food and rest.

I've been in a place where prayer felt impossible. When we received the news of our daughter Taylor's rare terminal diagnosis, I remember sitting with it and finding that the words inside my head wouldn't form into anything orderly. Nothing lined up. Nothing came out right. I didn't know how to begin, so for a while, I sat in prayer before God with no words.

What I learned slowly, leaning hard into the Holy Spirit during that season, is that He doesn't require our words to be formed before He meets us. Romans 8:26 says the Spirit helps us in our weakness, that we don't always know what to pray, but He intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. The Spirit prays when we can't. He fills the silence we bring.

Elijah's prayer under the broom bush was exhausted, honest, and short. But I’m so glad it was enough. God heard it, met it, and then gently asked him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

God asks the same question of us. Not because He doesn't know where we are, but because sometimes we need to say it out loud. I'm here because I'm exhausted. I'm here because I don't know what to ask for anymore. I'm here because this is all I have.

Those words come as a statement before the Lord in prayer. He hears them.

If you are in a season where prayer feels flat or the words have dried up completely, you are not failing in your faith journey. You may be in the most honest place you've ever stood before God. Bring what you have. Sit under your broom bush. Let the Spirit do what you cannot.

He has never once needed you to have it together before He showed up.

Take comfort in that today.

Pray with me?

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father,

I'll be honest. I don't know what to say to You right now. The words aren't coming, and the ones that do don't feel like enough. I'm tired in a way that's hard to explain, and prayer feels further away than it ever has.

But I'm here. That's what I have today.

Thank You that Your Spirit intercedes when I can't find the words. Thank You that You met Elijah under a broom bush with food and rest and a quiet question, not with disappointment. Meet me here, too.

I trust that You hear what I cannot say. That is enough for today.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

If you're looking for a place to bring your struggling prayer life back to God, especially in the seasons when words fail completely, I'd love for you to check out my book Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments. Until next time, remember: God sees you, hears you, and He knows your needs.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Ippei Naoi

Rachel Wojo is an inspirational author, public speaker, and podcaster known for her popular blog, rachelwojo.com. Through her biblical approach and personal life experiences, Rachel empowers women to discover strength and hope in everyday situations. Despite enduring the loss of her mother, adult special needs daughter, and father, Rachel remains resilient. She has authored the uplifting book,  Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments  and a new beautiful, spiral-bound prayer journal, Praying the Promises of God, Rachel is crazy in love with her husband, Matt, and cherishes her motherhood with six children on earth and two in heaven.

Related Resource: What to Do When God Seems Distant

What do we do when God no longer feels as close as He used to feel?

Many sincere believers experience seasons when prayer feels empty, Scripture feels quiet, and God seems strangely absent. For leaders especially, those seasons can feel confusing, discouraging, and even shameful.

In this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with theologian and spiritual formation professor Kyle Strobel to discuss the new book When God Seems Distant, coauthored with John Coe. If this episode helps you recenter your work and life on God, be sure to follow Unhurried Living on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!