When Prayer is Difficult

Renée Beyea, Asia Region Prayer Coordinator

Do you ever find yourself at a loss for words in prayer?  Following the successive disasters in Japan—earthquake, tsunami, ongoing nuclear crisis, and widespread devastation—I have found myself nearly speechless on my knees, my prayers summed up in three words, “Lord, have mercy.”  At those times I am comforted by Romans 8:26, knowing that the Spirit himself intercedes with groans that words cannot express.

Yet, how do we pray in times like these?  What do we ask for?  Where do we begin, when there are so many to pray for?  Rescue workers, refugees, power plant operators, aid organizations, missionaries, orphans, churches, the grieving, injured and missing, and that’s only the start of an unending list.  The sheer need is overwhelming.

In one of our local PWOC studies, “Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days,” author Kay Arthur reminds us to pray according to God’s name, that is, according to his character and attributes.  When we turn our eyes upon our Lord, search the Scriptures for how he has revealed himself, and then praise him, our petitions follow naturally.

For example, praise God because he is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals, then pray for all those in need of healing.  Praise God because he is almighty, then pray for his supernatural strength to sustain those who bring relief and hope.  Praise God because he is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide, then pray for him to supply needs.  Praise God for his patience in not wanting anyone to perish (2 Pt 3:9), then pray for the gospel to bring many to repentance.  Praise God, for whom nothing is impossible, then pray for miracles.

When we pray in this way, our prayers are not guided by our own limited perspective, but by the Holy Spirit.  When our prayers are based in his Word, they are ordered according to his will.  When our prayers are focused on God, we grow in knowledge of him and in faith that the One to whom we pray is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).  Whether we are interceding for Japan or for the needs in our own lives, turning our eyes to our Father in heaven is the first and best place to start.