Some mornings, prayer comes easily. The words flow, your heart feels full, and you get up from your chair feeling close to the Lord.
Other mornings, you sit down and nothing comes. You have prayed for a baby for months, maybe years, and heaven seems quiet. Another month has come and gone. And all you can manage is one word: “Please.”
If that is where you are today, please hear this. A small prayer is still a prayer. God is not waiting for you to find the perfect words before He listens.
God hears the prayer you cannot finish
Paul wrote about the moments when we do not know what to pray. He said the Spirit “maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26, KJV).
Think about that. When your prayer is only a sigh, or tears, or the name you hope to give a child someday, whispered in the dark, the Holy Spirit carries it to the Father. Nothing you bring to Him is wasted.
Walking with the Lord through the wait
Micah 6:8 asks us to “walk humbly with thy God.” A walk happens one step at a time, and so does a season of waiting. You do not have to carry the whole wait today. You only have to take today’s step with Him.
Paul told the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That does not mean we must stay on our knees every hour. It means our hearts can stay turned toward Him all day long, like a child who keeps glancing back to make sure her father is still near. He is.
If prayer feels hard right now, try this
- Pray one verse. Philippians 4:6 is a good place to start: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Read it slowly, then tell Him your request in your own words.
- Pray out loud. Hearing your own voice can help a weary mind stay with the Lord.
- Write it down. One line in a notebook is enough. Someday you may look back and see how faithfully He carried you through this season.
- Let His invitation be your prayer. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Simply answer, “Lord, I am coming.”
- Borrow words when yours run out. A written prayer can carry you on the days your own words will not come.
A prayer book for the wait
I wrote Praying for a Baby for exactly these days. It is a 40-day devotional with Scripture, prayers, and hope for the waiting season. You can take it one day at a time, and on the days you have no words, it can give you some.
Find Praying for a Baby on Amazon
The peace that follows
Philippians 4:7 gives us a promise: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
That peace is not always the answer we asked for, and it does not always come on our timeline. It is the nearness of the One who holds every answer. And He is near to you today.
So come as you are. Tired, hopeful, hurting, or still believing. Bring Him your small prayer. He is listening.
A prayer for you
Lord, thank You that You hear me even when my words run out. You know the desire of my heart for a child. When I do not know what to pray, let Your Spirit pray for me. Teach me to walk with You one step at a time through this wait, and fill my heart with Your peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
With love,
Kalinda Grace