1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Untangling Prayer Podcast. I'm Rachel Wojo, 2 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: and each week we unravel life's notts through prayer. Here 3 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: you'll find practical wisdom and prayer encouragement to guide you 4 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: through life's hardest seasons. Join me as we untangle life's 5 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: messes together, one prayer at a time. Hey there, I'm Rachel, 6 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Have you 7 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: ever felt like something was just off, Like there's this 8 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: unsettled feeling in your spirit, but you can't quite put 9 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: your finger on exactly what it is. Maybe you wake 10 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: up with anxiety and you can't trace it to anything specific, 11 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: or you're feeling distant from God and you don't know why. 12 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: Today we're talking about how to pray when you can't 13 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: identify exactly what's wrong. And here's the thing, this is 14 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: way more common than you might think. You're not alone 15 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: in this struggle. Let's dive into this first segment of 16 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: Questions in Hard Spaces, the segment where I answer the 17 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: hard questions about prayer that people email or DM me. 18 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: And today's question in heart space is how do I 19 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,639 Speaker 1: pray when I can't identify what is wrong? This question 20 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: came from a listener who told me that she wakes 21 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: up every morning with this sense of anxiety and she 22 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: can't name what she's anxious about. She would just feel 23 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 1: stuck because she doesn't know how to even pray about it. 24 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: If the problem isn't clear, how could she ask God 25 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: to fix it? Can I be honest with you? I 26 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: have been there. I think we've all been there, and 27 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: what I've learned is that our confusion doesn't disqualify our prayers. 28 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: It actually invites' God into that space with us. Let 29 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: me share with you three truths that I've learned when 30 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: I don't know what to pray. First of all, God 31 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: knows what you need before you even ask. Matthew six 32 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,359 Speaker 1: 's eight tells us your father knows what you need 33 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: before you ask him. Before you ask, you don't have 34 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 1: to diagnose the problem perfectly for God to be able 35 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: to address it. You don't have to present to him 36 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: with a complete analysis of what's wrong. Sometimes we're fighting 37 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: battles we haven't even named yet. There are spiritual realities 38 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,239 Speaker 1: happening under the surface that we can't see, and God 39 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: sees that entire picture when we're only seeing fragments. He 40 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: knows the root when we're only experiencing symptoms. So when 41 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: you feel unsettled anxiety and you can't figure out where 42 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: it's coming from, God already knows your job is to 43 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: come to him in prayer. Secondly, the Holy Spirit intercedes 44 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:00,959 Speaker 1: for us when we have no words. It's eight twenty 45 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: six is one of my favorite verses. You hear it 46 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: from me all the time. The Spirit helps us in 47 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: our weaknesses when we do not know what to pray for, 48 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And 49 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: did you catch that we do not know what we 50 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 1: ought to pray for Paul under the inspiration of the 51 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: Holy Spirit technologies that we don't always know what to 52 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: pray and guess what that's exactly? When the Holy Spirit 53 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: steps in your confusion doesn't disqualify your prayers. Size, tears, 54 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: even silence, when they're offered to God can be prayer. 55 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit takes those unnamed needs and translates them 56 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: into perfect intercession before our Father. If you feel like 57 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: you're feeling if you feel like you're failing at prayer, 58 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: God sees it differently. He sees a heart that is 59 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: turning to Him in weakness. We often think of prayer 60 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: as asking for things right with our lists, our requests, 61 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: our problems. But prayer is so much more than that. 62 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: Sometimes the most powerful prayer is just showing up and saying, 63 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: here I am Lord. I don't even know what I need, 64 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: but I know I need you. David did this constantly 65 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: in the Psalms. He brought his confusion directly to God. 66 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: In Psalm one thirty nine, twenty three, and twenty four, 67 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,359 Speaker 1: says search me, Oh God, and know my heart. Test 68 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there's any 69 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 70 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: That's a prayer of surrender. David was essentially saying, God, 71 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 1: I can't figure this out on my own. You search me, 72 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,159 Speaker 1: You reveal what needs to be revealed. So when you 73 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: don't know what to pray, here's what you can do. 74 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: Start with honesty. Tell God I feel unsettled, I don't 75 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: know why, ask Him for revelation, Show me what I 76 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: need to see, rest in his presence, Remind him that 77 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: you trust, and even when you don't understand it, create 78 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: space for God to speak to your heart. You know 79 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: he will bring clarity. Sometimes helping peace. But either way 80 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: you've prayed, He's heard you, and this is conversation before God. 81 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening into this segment of questions 82 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 1: in hard Spaces. We'll be right back after this word 83 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: from our sponsors. Thank you for allowing that word from 84 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: our sponsors. And now I'm diving into the podcast segment 85 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 1: we call Pray More worry Less Encouragement. This is the 86 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: segment where we focus on one prayer principle to help 87 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: you pray more and worry less. And today's principle is this, 88 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 1: when you don't know what to pray, pray what you 89 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 1: do know when life gets confusing and you can't identify 90 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: the exact problem or the feeling, maybe you're feeling paralyzed 91 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: in prayer. But I believe there are things you can 92 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: always know and things you can always pray, no matter 93 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: how confused your circumstances are. First, you can always know 94 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: and pray God's character even when your circumstances are confusing. 95 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:15,599 Speaker 1: God's character is constant. And when you don't know what's happening, 96 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: you can still pray about who God is. You can 97 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: remind him you are faithful, you are good, You are 98 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: my refuge. You are my strength. Hebrews thirteen eight tells 99 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: us Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 100 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: And when you can't see the path forward anchor yourself 101 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: and who God is, his character doesn't change. Second, you 102 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: can always know and pray his promises. Scripture is filled 103 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: with promises we can pray back to God. And this 104 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: is actually one of my favorite ways to pray when 105 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: I don't have my own words. Lord, you promised you 106 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: would never leave me or forsake me. I need to 107 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: fill your presence today. Or maybe you say you promised 108 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: you would work all things together for good to those 109 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: who love you. And I'm trusting that even where I 110 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 1: stand right now, where you promised, your plans are for 111 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: my good and not for calamity. And I'm holding on 112 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: to that right now. We know that verse Jeremiah twenty 113 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: nine to eleven, that the Lord declares his plans are 114 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: for us and not against us. He is to give 115 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: us a future and a hope. And that's why I 116 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: created the Promises Prayer Journal, because when you don't know 117 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: what to pray about your specific situation, you can always 118 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: pray God's promises over them. This journal walks you through praying, scripture, 119 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: and God's own own words. It takes the pressure off 120 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,679 Speaker 1: of finding your words because you're praying His perfect words, 121 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: and so you can always know and pray your dependence 122 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: on God. The prayer that I need you is complete. 123 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: It's a full prayer all by itself, and Jesus taught 124 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: us to pray daily for daily bread, just what we 125 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: need for today. You don't have to have it fured out. 126 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: You don't have to have the whole journey solved or 127 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: the whole solution. You just need to take steps of 128 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: dependence on God. One of my favorite favorite verses, trust 129 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: in the Lord with all your heart, and do not 130 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: lean on your own understanding in all your ways. Acknowledge 131 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: Him and he will make your path straight Proverbs three, 132 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: five and six. Sometimes God allows confusion because he wants 133 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:27,240 Speaker 1: to teach us to trust Him more than our own 134 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: ability to figure things out. When we can't identify the 135 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: exact problem, we're forced to rely completely on Him. And 136 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: you know what, that's not a weakness in our prayer life. 137 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: It's a deepening of faith. It's a process of faith. 138 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: And so wherever you are in your season right now, 139 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:47,680 Speaker 1: if you don't know what to pray, I want to 140 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,079 Speaker 1: encourage you to start with what you do know. God 141 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: is good. That's true, whether we understand what's happening in 142 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: our circumstances or not. God is present, that's true, even 143 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: when we can't feel him. God is working, that's true, 144 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: even when we can't see him. Let those truths be 145 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: your foundation, and the clarity will come. But intimacy with 146 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: God that grows in the confusion, that's irreplaceable. Some of 147 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,559 Speaker 1: the most precious moments that you'll have with Him are 148 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: the ones where you recognize that He is good and 149 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 1: whether you know it or not, right, I've had this 150 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: happen today. You know, God reveals what we need even 151 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: when we can't name it. And I've talked about this before, 152 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: but I know that many of you have wondered, how 153 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: does she know these things? I would be remiss not 154 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: to share where I have struggled to figure out what 155 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: feeling I was actually experiencing, and that made prayer confusing 156 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: to me. How God revealed a hidden need or an 157 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: unexpected blessing was what I really needed in that moment, 158 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: and I just wanted to share with you that there 159 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: was a time when I felt like I was really angry. 160 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: I went through this season where in my body I 161 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: could feel this extra heat and I couldn't even explain 162 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: it to Matt, and I wasn't sure that I could 163 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: articulate it to friends. But something wasn't right, And when 164 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: I tried to pray, I felt like I didn't have 165 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: any words. And I realized God was working on something 166 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: that I couldn't see. He was maybe answering prayers that 167 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: I hadn't even prayed or didn't know. But wow, it 168 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:41,599 Speaker 1: was so challenging to figure out how to dig beneath 169 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: that anger, find the grief, and then bring it to 170 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 1: the light and my prayers. That book, Desperate Prayers Embracing 171 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: the Power of Prayer and Life Stark as Moments is 172 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: kind of where my confusion and grief and overwhelming circumstances 173 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: left me totally speech and I didn't know what to pray. 174 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: I couldn't form my words. That book is for you 175 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: if you're in a place right now where you don't 176 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: know where to pray, where the weight is heavy but 177 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: maybe undefined, or if you feel that there's a sense 178 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: of something not right. I want to meet you there. 179 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,079 Speaker 1: That book is not about getting it right. It's about 180 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: bringing your authentic, confused, struggling heart to the God who 181 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,719 Speaker 1: already knows what we need. If you'd like to get 182 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 1: a copy of Desperate Prayers, you can go to Desperate 183 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: Prayers dot com or wherever you buy books. Thank you 184 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 1: for joining me on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. I pray 185 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: that today's episode has encouraged you in your walk with 186 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: the Lord. Until next time, Remember, God sees you, he 187 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: hears you, and he knows your needs. Thanks for joining 188 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: me on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. If this episode resonated 189 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: with you, share it with someone who could use a 190 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: little hope, and be sure to subscribe for more. Until 191 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: next time, keep seeking, keep trusting, and keep praying.