Learning to Pray God’s Word When Our Own Words Fail Us
It was late summer in Colorado, and I’d spent the last few months exhausted. But like the “good mom I was trying to be,” I would walk to our community pool with Titus, who was 18 months at the time, at least once a week. Michael, my husband, had been giving me a hard time lately, “Why aren’t you taking him to the pool more?” as I was a stay-at-home mom, and Titus begged me almost every day to walk him to the pool to swim. (He was a pretty cute kid and could puppy-dog-eyes like the best of them!) But I was exceedingly tired until it dawned on me, “I think I’m pregnant!”
I remember how giddy I was and how many pregnancy tests I had taken to share the news with Michael. I’d painted “I’m a Big Brother” on one of Titus’ favorite green onesies and prepared a “pregnancy test bouquet” (thanks, Pinterest; but it's so weird now that I’m typing it) to surprise Michael.
Although my original plan was to start having kids after receiving my Master’s degree, Titus decided to join the Brown Party of Two early and make us new and very young parents who had no idea what we were doing. Titus had been a surprise baby that only the LORD could have brought about, and we had recently decided to start trying for a sibling for him. My logic? “I guess we’d better get the kiddo situation off the ground now, and I can focus on a Master’s in Counseling program later.”
Michael was ecstatic, I was elated, and Titus was excited about a sibling (as much as he could understand at 18 months). My best friend soon found out she was pregnant, and I thought, “How amazing would this be to have babies so close in age!”
When The Unexpected Happens
But then the other shoe dropped. My hypothyroidism that had kicked off during my first pregnancy raged its royal head, and I lost the baby. For some reason, the day I realized something was wrong, I couldn’t get ahold of Michael. I ended up calling my brother, David, who lived a block away, to come and stay with Titus while I drove to the hospital. Thankfully, Michael arrived right before I walked into the ultrasound clinic. Throughout the ultrasound, I prayed silently, “Lord, save this baby girl!” as I’d been having dreams of a baby girl for weeks by then. But my prayers went unanswered.
We returned home, deeply saddened. Michael had a meeting at church that night and went in person to cancel it. Alone, I crawled into bed and didn’t get out for over a week, mourning the loss of a baby we had not even gotten to name yet. I didn’t know that across town, youth sponsors of all seasons of life had surrounded my husband when he shared the news, and they immediately laid hands on him and prayed for all of us while weeping with him.
Back home, I pulled out the pair of beige croqueted booties I’d bought earlier for a baby with no name. I cried silently when I placed them into a memory box I’ve had since childhood. In the following days, I sobbed, wept, railed, sat silent while tears streamed down my face, and screamed out from nightmares until I had no tears or words left. And my prayers felt—lost.
I remember my sister-in-law, Jess, coming over to help out that first week. Not only did she watch Titus, but she cooked, cleaned, and just sat with me in silence while I cried. I finally said at one point, “I can’t pray, Jess.” She didn’t say a word but moved my Bible from our dresser across the room closer to me on my end table and just hugged me. I remember putting my head down on her shoulder and just weeping uncontrollably. When she left, I opened the worn Bible haphazardly, and it fell open to Psalm 18. The words leaped off the page as though they were mine:
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
Who was my enemy? Myself. For the past week, I had been blaming myself for the loss of our child. It was my bad health. My bad genes, I had told myself over and over.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
I began to read the words aloud, and they became my prayer.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
How to Pray God’s Word: Transforming Your Prayer Life
Have you ever felt stuck in prayer—unsure what to say or how to express what’s on your heart? Maybe you’ve found yourself repeating the exact words repeatedly, longing for something more profound. That’s where praying Scripture comes in.
God has already given us a rich, robust vocabulary for prayer—His Word. Instead of struggling to find the right words, we can align our prayers with His truth by praying directly from the Bible.
Why Pray Scripture?
It Aligns Our Hearts with God’s Will—Instead of focusing only on our desires, praying Scripture helps us center our prayers on God’s promises and purposes. (For example, it helped me realize that my guilt was holding me from healing.)
It Strengthens Our Faith—Reciting God’s Word to ourselves reminds us of His faithfulness and gives us confidence in prayer. (Hearing the words of God’s rescue took away any isolation I felt).
It Provides Words When We Don’t Have Any – Have you ever been in a season where you don’t know what to pray? Yeah- me too. The Psalms, Jesus’ prayers, and Paul’s letters are full of ready-made prayers for every situation. Let’s use them to help us out.
How to Pray God’s Word in Three Simple Steps
Choose a Passage
Start with a Psalm, a promise from Scripture, or even one of Jesus’ prayers. Some great places to begin:
📖 Psalm 23 – When you need comfort
📖 Philippians 4:6-7 – When you’re anxious
📖 Ephesians 3:16-19 – When you want to pray for spiritual growth or spiritual protectionPersonalize the Passage
Take the scripture and turn it into a personal prayer. For example:Psalm 23:1 – “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Prayed: “Lord, You are my Shepherd. You provide everything I need. Help me trust in Your care and not in my own understanding.”Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything…”
Prayed: “Father, I lay my worries at Your feet. You tell me not to be anxious, so I ask for Your peace to guard my heart and mind today.”Pray It Back to God
Once you’ve personalized it, speak it aloud or write it in a journal. You can:
✔️ Use it as a morning or bedtime prayer
✔️ Repeat it throughout the day when challenges arise
✔️ Write it on a sticky note and place it where you’ll see it often
The more you pray Scripture, the more it shapes your heart and mind in alignment with God’s truth.
Ready to Start?
If you’ve never prayed Scripture before, try it this week! Pick one verse, personalize it, and pray it daily. You’ll find that God’s Word becomes alive in your prayers—filling them with power, depth, and transformation.
📌 Want more? Check out our guide on "Praying with Purpose."
When My Own Words Fail
Almost 17 years later, I still occasionally reach for Psalm 18. I am still my worst enemy, but I’ve learned that even when I am, God is on my side, ready to swoop down and pull me from my own chaotic waters of depression and anxiety. I am deeply grateful that the prayers of the saints (Paul, David, Sons of Korah, the Prophets, etc.) and Jesus are recorded so that WE can have a place to start when we are without words, are unsure what to pray, and need a guide to help us along the Way.
