HOW TO PRAY WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PRAY.

As I replaced the telephone receiver, I sat back in the chair and sighed, ‘How do I pray’?

My conversation with Sue ( not her real name ) reminded me of her drastic situation.

After praying with her, I felt so inadequate over my suggestions which now sounded so simple. But I was glad when she said how a friend, searching for a comfortable Psalm, read to her Psalm 121, to assure and inspire her.

I left the phone, opened my bible at the kitchen table, and sipped a hot lemon drink while I read Psalm 121. How appropriate for me to pray through that Psalm on Sue’s behalf.

The Psalmist called me to lift my spiritual eyes to the Creator God, who made heaven and earth, and the mountains. Because He created mountains, His power was sufficient for Sue in her circumstances.

I opened Strong’s Concordance to search for the basic meaning of the words of that Psalm, and I was blessed. ‘He will not let your foot slip,’ (verse 3 ). I prayed, ‘Lord, according to your word, You will not allow or appoint Sue to stumble in her position, nor be shattered by the events through calamity or affliction.’

‘He will not slumber or sleep.’ ( verse 4 ) The wonderful Lord will neither become drowsy so that He cannot concentrate, nor slack or languid, nor will He grow old. That comfort continually applied to Sue’s condition that day, as I prayed regularly over this Psalm even while preparing meals, I knew my heavenly Father sustained and cared for my beloved friend.

Many admit that they do not know what to pray in unusual circumstances. However, three times in this Psalm ( verses 3,4,5 ) the Lord promised to keep, to guard, to protect, and preserve His children. Here the Psalm writer expressed my longing for Sue. A precious bonus appeared in the promise from verse 5. ‘The Lord is your shade at your right hand.’ Shade and shadow always presume the presence of an object or figure. Here the Lord God’s Presence acts as a shade and defence as He hovers over His beloved children with protection in difficult times.

The further I read the more I warmed to the blessing of reading and appropriating God’s promises, especially on behalf of a friend.

‘The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.’ (verse 6 ) Because Sue’s fears centred on day and night, the words were so apt as well as being a universal promise. As the sun sets here, so it rises in another part of the world. God’s promises are worldwide.

‘The Lord will both keep you from harm and danger over your life.’ (verse 7 ) As a hedge encompasses a home, so the Lord surrounds His people.

I understood the Psalmist’s wisdom and promise that the Lord would guard and protect her soul, (verse 7) including her vitality and mental well-being. In times of trouble, the female mind often turns ‘catherine wheels ’ in attempting to solve problems. But when the heart and mind stabilise peacefully in the Lord Jesus Christ, then the Holy Spirit gives power and ability. I was confident that Sue’s thoughts would be set on her God.

Use this Psalm for both personal blessing and as a prayer for family, friends and certainly on behalf of missionaries, when, through time and distance, we do not know their immediate needs.

Many times during that day I sat and prayed through that Psalm for dear Sue.

Two days later, I typed Psalm 121 on a card, slipping it into our son-in-law’s pocket as he departed by plane to Ireland to attend his father’s funeral.

God beautifully confirmed this at our Sunday morning service, when the leader commenced, ’We shall read together Psalm 121.’ Sue smiled at her friend, who had first read her this Psalm. I knew God had answered prayer.

When you are not sure what to pray, open at a Psalm, and pray for yourself, your loved ones, and friends.

‘I will lift my eyes to the hills, for my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.’ I am His by creation and redemption, and tenderly held in His love and care.

Sue prayed sincerely for her wayward daughter.