Having just lived through a global pandemic, anyone reading this is familiar with hard times. For me, the concerns, worries, and frustrations brought on by those unprecedented circumstances caused me to wrestle with anxiety on levels I had not yet experienced. In intense times of anxiety, fear, or grief, we can find it very difficult to pray. The words won’t come. We feel far away from God. Early in the lockdown, that’s how I felt. I needed to pray…the one thing I could hardly bring myself to do. Perhaps, in the experience of some difficult situation of your own, you can relate—whether from the pandemic or loss of a loved one, worry for a prodigal child, or so many other hardships. Thankfully, God did not leave me in my spiritual isolation; instead, he invited me into a conversation, to turn my COVID-19 anxiety into prayer. He is doing the same for you, in whatever troubles you currently face.

Turn your worry, fear, and anxiety into prayer

At some point, it occurred to me that I should voice my anxious thoughts to God, to name the problem and how it made me feel. In those early weeks of the pandemic, I worried about my family’s safety, about basic necessities (like toilet paper), about people out of work, about our church, and about the divisions in our society in the throes of the emergency. When I just started saying those worries out loud to God, like I might with my wife, and voicing how it all made me feel, the Holy Spirit lightened my heart. I was able to see all that I could be thankful for and trust that God really means it when he says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Since then, when other exigencies have cropped up to trouble my spirit, I’m quicker to simply tell God my worries in plain language.

In your hard times, whatever they may be, say your worries, fears, and anxieties out loud to God. Tell God how they make you feel. Don’t worry about complaining to God; the Psalms are full of the psalmists’ complaints to a God who loves us.

Let the Psalms give you words

If the emotional toll of whatever you are going through oppresses your spirit, seems to clamp your mouth shut, and cut you off from God, praying God’s own words can really help. I've found directly quoting Scripture to be helpful, but you could also use the text as a starting point for your own prayers. When my youngest brother became very ill, I didn’t even know what to pray for. I turned to Psalm 35 and paraphrased it aloud as a prayer for God to fight for my brother’s life, like this:

Contend, Lord, with the illness threatening my brother, Tim; fight against what fights against him. Take up your shield and armor; arise and come to his aid. Brandish spear and javelin against this sickness that pursues him. Say to Tim, “I am your salvation” (Psalm 35:1-3, paraphrased).

Years ago, when I lost a job I treasured and didn’t know what I would do, I prayed Psalm 16, reaffirming that God gives me good things: Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure (Psalm 16:5). That repeated prayer nursed me through the season of unemployment that followed. In times of temptation, I might recite parts of Psalm 19:

Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:12b-14).

Are there psalms that speak to you in times of trouble? These are God’s own words. The Psalms are God’s prayer book, there to encourage and comfort, and provide a firm anchor in a storm.

Find direction for your prayers with a prayer book

At times when I have been under a lot of pressure or overwhelmed with grief, my thoughts and feelings may become jumbled. With a quick search, I can find many prayer books written specifically for difficult times. Right here, at the ReFrame Prayer Ministry, we offer "Our Only Comfort: A Devotional Series for Hard Times" from our sister ministry, Today. We also present 31-day prayer guides for times of grieving: “Prayers of Comfort for a Grieving Heart” (for when you are grieving) and “Prayers of Compassion for Someone in Grief” (for when you are praying for someone you love who is grieving). These resources will help you process your difficult experiences and give structure to your prayers.

We can find it very tough to pray in times when we’re under a lot of mental, emotional, and spiritual strain. Just telling God what is making us anxious, even if in incomplete sentences, gives utterance to the state of our hearts. The Psalms give us God’s words when we don’t have any of our own, and a prayer book can guide our prayers to help us grapple with what troubles us. There is no single right way to pray in difficult circumstances. We need only to believe what God says is true when he urges us to cast our burdens on him, because his Holy Spirit will sustain us in whatever trials we face (Psalm 55:22).

May we pray for you? Share a prayer request with us here. We invite you to check out our free ebook, “How Do I Pray?” We also encourage you to explore the prayer resources on our website.