How to Pray When Life is Messy

[Hannah] was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. —1 Samuel 1:10

There have been days when I’ve ached with the pain of pleadings and prayers for my children and grandchildren. But I’ve gained confidence about how to pray because of a woman I met in the pages of 1 Samuel.

Hannah was honest with God as she poured out the insecurities and complaints of her soul. That gives us permission to pray honestly when we’re living in the messy places of life.

Far too often I’ve limited praying to my devotion time or to writing in my journal. I wanted to be a “prayer warrior,” but my heart yearned for the safety of a tidy prayer list. Going before God with your soul truly naked is difficult, painful, and vulnerable. Yet it’s the only kind of communion with Him that’s real.

So back away from your weekly prayer plan. Abort the prayer list. Those things have a place, but it’s time to pray like a woman drunk with prayer. Just “spill and scatter” the questions. God can sort them if we’ll just pour them out.