“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.”—John Bunyan.

Have you ever wanted to pray about something, but you didn’t really know what to say to God? I know that I have felt that way many times.

Having few words with which to pray is not necessarily a problem. Jesus warns against “babbling like pagans” (Matthew 6:7). It is possible to pray ineffectively because we use too many words and drone on and on without really putting our heart into the words.

Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

So the next time you struggle to find the right words to use in prayer, don’t despair! Set your mind on God and lift up the praise or request to him. He will know how to receive your prayer and answer it properly.