Through scripture, honest prayer, wisdom, counsel, and surrender, learn how to pray for God’s will when you don’t yet know what it is.
There’s a kind of prayer that happens when you don’t yet know what God’s will is, but you have a feeling that it might not be the answer you’re hoping for. It is not neat or polished. It is the same prayer that is often mixed with tears, sometimes with a little fear.
I am in such a season right now. Something is unfolding in my family, and I don’t know all the details yet, but I think it might be something difficult for us. I continue to pray for God’s wisdom and direction, and, if I’m being completely honest, I’m hoping that direction will be easier than I think. It is not a lack of faith. This is what it feels like to be human and love God at the same time.
If you too are in this kind of season, quietly waiting for the answer that it is not what you are preparing for, I want to share what got me through it. These practices will not make waiting comfortable. But they will keep you close to God while you wait for Him to make His will clear.
Stay connected to God through scriptures
When everything else in life changes, scripture remains the same. Reading and studying God’s Word is not something we do in easy seasons. How do we stand still when our emotions are pulling us in a different direction than the truth?
I know that when I’m sad, it’s so easy to let my emotions do the talking. It is important to focus and understand what the scriptures actually say. Staying in scripture, even a few verses a day, continues to bring me back to who God really is instead of listening to my worries or fears. Its truth never changes, and that is why we need it most when everything around us is changing.
🌿 Tip Box: When life feels unsteady, pick a book of the Bible to read slowly. Let that familiarity with God’s Word be firm ground under your feet.
Pray constantly even when it’s hard
Praying consistently does not mean praying beautifully. Some of the most honest prayers I’ve prayed lately are raw and repetitive, not eloquent. God does not ask for polished words. He wants us, just as we are.
A prayer scripture about who God is
One practice that has kept me grounded is praying the scriptures out loud, especially the Psalms. When I don’t have my own words, I borrow David’s words. I pray His words about God’s faithfulness, His nearness, His goodness, and His sovereignty, and I let those truths become my own prayer. Praying who God is instead of praying what I want is a way to settle my heart before my circumstances change.
Brick wall prayer
One prayer I return to often is what I call the brick wall prayer. If I am moving toward something that is not His will for my life, I ask God to throw down a brick wall or close a door. I ask him to stop me in a way that I can’t miss or explain.
I have prayed this prayer many times over the years, and I have seen God answer it. The doors are closed that I could not open, and do not want to close once. Paths are clear and completely closed. Each time, I look back and see His protection, provision and abundant grace each time.
By praying this way we take the pressure off of figuring it all out on our own. We simply ask God to make His will unmistakable, and trust that He will.
Ask God for wisdom
James 1:5 says…
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Such good news in a difficult season. We are not expected to already know how to navigate it. We are invited to ask.
Asking for wisdom is different than asking for a different outcome. It asks God to help us see clearly, respond well, and trust Him even when we can’t see the whole picture. This kind of wisdom doesn’t always change our circumstances, but it always changes how we walk through them.
Find Vice Counsel
We were never meant to bear the hard seasons alone. Proverbs often reminds us that wisdom is found in the counsel of others. Prof. 15 says…
Let the wise hear and add to their learning, and let the wise be guided.
Asking trusted people to talk to us about our situation, and asking them to pray with us and for us, is one way God provides for us. There is something about speaking our fears out loud to a godly friend, and then hearing them pray those fears back to God on our behalf, that stabilizes us in a way that we cannot produce on our own.
Listen and surrender
This is the most difficult step, and also the most important. Listening means paying attention, to scripture, to circumstances, and to the advice of wise people, and asking God to help us see His will through all three. Surrender means laying down our own choices when we understand His direction, even if it costs us something.
Surrender is a moment when we say yes to God’s will on ourselves. But surrender is not justified. We have to keep choosing it, moment by moment, asking God to help us because our emotions don’t always catch on right away. Asking Him to align our thoughts and feelings with His truth is an act of faith in itself. We trust Him to do in us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Praying God’s will when we don’t yet know what it is will never feel easy, and I don’t think it’s supposed to. But each of these practices, living in scripture, praying sincerely, asking for wisdom, seeking counsel, and surrendering, draw us closer to God who already knows how our story will unfold. He doesn’t ask us to feel anything. He tells us to trust Him in everything.
Scripture to meditate on
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Submit to Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight. Pro 3:5-6
Happy Sunday, friends…
