A Prayer When We Do Not Know What to Pray

God our Father, we come to you today with groans as much as words. Creation groans around us, and we groan within, waiting for the redemption of our bodies and the world you have promised to set free. We do not pretend the waiting is easy.

We thank you that your Spirit helps us in our weakness. When we do not know what to pray for, he prays. Receive today the prayers we cannot put into sentences, the fears we have not named, the hopes we barely dare to hold. You search our hearts and you know the mind of your Spirit. Let his intercession stand where ours falls short.

We believe that in all things you are working for the good of those who love you, and we ask for the patience to wait for a good we cannot yet see. Conform us to the image of your Son.

And hold us in the truth that ends this chapter, that neither death nor life, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.