11 Bible verses to pray when you don’t know what to say
Ashley Thrift
Have you ever been at a loss for words? What about when you talk with God?
You can feel a battle brewing within you. The struggle is surfacing, but you just don’t know the words to pray as you cry out to God for help.
Here is a brief list of prayers from the book of Psalms you can save for when you just don’t know the words to say:
1. When you can’t sleep, pray Psalm 3:5.
“I lie down and sleep, I wake again because the Lord sustains me.”
There are many reasons to have sleepless nights. For David, he could have had many while his son gathered an army to kill him, but instead, he slept peacefully. His peaceful sleep in a time of distress came from his cry to God.
Pour out your heart to God and rest peacefully with assurance that He is in control.
2. When you need help with negative thinking and speaking, pray Psalm 19:14.
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Would God be pleased with your thoughts and your words if He first examined them? Like David, ask God to approve your thoughts and words before you express them.
3. When you need guidance from God, pray Psalm 25:4.
“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.”
The first step to receiving guidance from God is to want it. God’s guidance comes through the Bible and from the Holy Spirit. When we pray this prayer and seek guidance through God’s Word, we can learn the wisdom of God’s direction for our lives instead of demanding our own answers.
4. When you are afraid, pray Psalm 27:1.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
Fear is a bondage that can hold us captive within ourselves. Whether it be a fear of rejection, making a wrong decision, being hurt emotionally or physically, death, or something else, we have all been a victim of fear at some point in our lives.
Thankfully we serve an amazing God who turns the darkness of fear into a light of salvation. Conquer fear by trusting God.
The first step to receiving guidance from God is to want it.
5. When you are sad or brokenhearted, pray Psalm 34:17-18.
“The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Whether it be a pain from grief, loss, sorrow or failure, God promises to be close. He is our source of healing.
“Have mercy on me O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out all my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
God is a merciful God. No sin is too great for Him to forgive.
7. When you need to refocus, pray Psalm 51:10.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Asking God to cleanse our hearts provides us with a new desire to please Him.
8. When you need to feel God’s protection, pray Psalm 61:2-3.
“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”
God will never abandon us; His all-surpassing strength is always with us and all we truly need.
9. When you simply want to praise God, pray Psalm 70:4.
“But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, ‘The Lord is great!’”
Even in a moment of panic, David did not forget to praise God.
Praise helps us to remember who God is and what He has done for us and others. As we plead with God through prayers and requests, we can also give Him credit for great things He’s done.
10. When you face temptation, pray Psalm 141:4.
“Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, so that I take part in wicked deeds.”
Ask God to guard your heart, just as David did. Evil desires can lead to evil acts.
11. When you want to seek out God’s will, pray Psalm 143:10.
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.”
Like David, let’s pray to learn God’s will and not depend on our own.