“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.” (Romans 8:26)
This post is part of the Writing Through Struggle and Healing series.
When Words to God Run Dry
There are moments when prayer feels impossible. Not because God is far away, but because the words simply will not come.
After Kathleen went to be with Jesus, I often found myself sitting in silence. My mind was blank. My heart was heavy. I wanted to pray, but I did not know how. Every sentence felt too small. Every phrase sounded cliched. I had nothing eloquent to offer God.
So instead of praying, I wrote.
Writing When Prayer Feels Too Hard
I opened my laptop (when it crashed, I bought a PC and continued) and began typing, not with an audience in mind, but with survival. I had to get it out. The words came out slowly, unevenly, sometimes clumsily. They were not polished prayers. They were fragments. Questions. Half-formed thoughts.
Yet, as I wrote, something shifted.
Writing gave shape to what prayer could not hold. It allowed me to stay honest without forcing clarity. It became a way to sit before God without pretending I was okay.
I later realized I was still praying. Just not in the way I was used to.
When Writing Becomes a Form of Prayer
Scripture reminds us that God understands even our wordless groans. Writing, in those moments, became my groaning put into language. Each word a cry for help. Each sentence was an act of trust. Each paragraph was a quiet offering.
With Ben curled up at my feet, I typed through the fog. I thought I was writing for readers. I did not realize God was meeting me there, using the very act of writing to steady my heart. That was how I mourn!
Writing did not remove the grief. But it kept me present. It kept me open.
Letting God Meet Us Where We Are
Sometimes faith looks like kneeling in prayer. Other times, it looks like sitting at a desk, typing through tears.
I come to believe God does not demand perfect prayers. He welcomes honest ones. And when we do not know how to pray, He is gracious enough to meet us in our writing, our silence, and our searching.
This is My Prayer
Father, when I do not know how to pray, meet me where I am. Use my words, my silence, and even my weakness to draw me closer to You. Teach me to trust that You hear my heart, even when my prayers feel incomplete. I place myself in Your care. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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