Listen to this devotion
Prayer
In the Word
The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer (Psalm 6:9).
Of the Word
I stayed by his side. Many tubes snaked from the still figure on the bed. Machines beeped and hummed. He barely looked alive now, his face slack, his body so still except for the breath of life being pumped from the machines into his chest.
The hours passed in that dream state so common in hospitals. People came and went as I sat there, thinking and praying. What should I pray for? For life? What kind of life would we have?
Did I dare ask God to relieve him from his pain and suffering? Was I ready to let go of him? Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26).
Even when we don’t know what to pray for, God knows our thoughts and our unspoken prayers. The Holy Spirit guides our hearts and minds even when we aren’t sure of what to ask of God.
Walking with my Lord
Dear Father in heaven, my life is in Your hands. Please help me in my hour of uncertainty and give me the strength to deal with the answer to my unspoken prayer. May the Holy Spirit continue to reside in me and guide my ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mustard Seed: Living as a Woman in Mission. Author: Dianna Jenkins. 19/32 ©2009, revised 2026. Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
