How Do I Pray When I Do Not Know What to Say?

You sit down to pray, and suddenly you cannot find the words. You know what is troubling you, but you are unsure how to explain it to God. Maybe you have heard someone pray confidently and wondered whether your own simple words are enough. Jesus’ teaching gives us a place to begin.

In Matthew 6:5–13, Jesus addresses people who pray to impress others and people who think many words will make God listen. He tells His followers, “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8, NKJV).

Then He gives them a pattern for prayer, beginning with these words:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:9–10, NKJV

Jesus teaches us to approach God as our Father, honor Him, and bring our lives under His good rule. We can begin there even when words are hard to find.

Come to the Father Sincerely

Jesus warns against making prayer a performance. Some people prayed publicly because they wanted to be noticed. Jesus directed His followers to pray privately to the Father who sees them (Matthew 6:5–6).

His point is not that praying with other people is wrong. The first Christians prayed together when they faced threats (Acts 4:23–31). The issue is whom we are trying to reach: God, or an audience.

Jesus also warns against “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7, NKJV). This means empty, thoughtless repetition offered as though enough words could force God’s attention. Repeating a sincere request is different. Jesus Himself returned to the same request while praying before His arrest (Matthew 26:39–44).

You can pray in ordinary language. Tell the Father what is happening and what you need. You do not have to sound like someone else.

But if God already knows, why ask? Because Jesus teaches us to ask. Prayer expresses our dependence on Him. We bring our needs into a relationship with the Father rather than trying to manage everything alone (Matthew 6:8–13).

Let Jesus’ Prayer Guide Your Words

Jesus begins with God’s name, kingdom, and will. “Hallowed” means honored as holy. We acknowledge that God is worthy of our reverence, and we ask that His purposes shape our lives (Matthew 6:9–10).

That gives prayer a direction beyond getting everything we want. We can bring real desires to God while remaining willing to obey Him when His answer differs from our preference.

Then Jesus teaches us to ask for daily bread (Matthew 6:11). Ordinary needs belong in prayer. Food, work, responsibilities, and the needs of our families are not too small to bring before our Father.

He also teaches us to seek forgiveness. The “debts” in this prayer concern our wrongdoing before God. We admit our sins and ask for mercy rather than pretending everything is fine (Matthew 6:12).

Jesus connects that request with forgiving others and reinforces the connection immediately after the prayer (Matthew 6:14–15). Receiving mercy should shape how we treat people who have wronged us. Forgiveness does not require calling harmful behavior good. It does require refusing to hold on to revenge (Romans 12:17–21).

Finally, Jesus teaches us to ask for protection from temptation and evil (Matthew 6:13). We acknowledge that we need God’s help to live faithfully.

You can pray these words sincerely or use them to guide your own words. Either way, pay attention to what you are asking.

Trust God When Words Are Difficult

Sometimes the problem is deeper than not knowing how to begin. Grief, exhaustion, or fear can leave us unsure what to ask.

Paul writes that the Holy Spirit helps believers in their weakness when they do not know how to pray as they ought (Romans 8:26–27). In a passage about suffering and hope, he reminds Christians that the Spirit intercedes for them according to God’s will. Our inability to explain everything does not leave us without help.

You can speak honestly, even briefly. Confidence in prayer rests in the God who hears, not in how polished your sentences sound. Through Jesus Christ, believers have access to the Father by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).

Today, take a few quiet minutes and begin with one part of Jesus’ prayer. Honor the Father, bring Him your need, and ask for help to follow His will. You can come because Christ has opened the way.