Daily Devo

When We're Not Sure What To Pray

By: Lisa Hodgins
Saturday, May 17, 2025

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12


Prayer is an integral part of our faith, and it's vital for growing our relationship with God. Our Heavenly Father loves to hear from us, and He wants us to bring Him our cares and concerns. When Paul wrote his letters, he included what he was praying about in many of them. His letters to the churches are excellent examples of how to pray for others, especially when we're unsure what to pray for. We see a great example of this in Colossians 1.


We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience. Colossians 1:9-11


Those verses from Colossians are a great prayer for others, but we can also use them as a guideline to pray for ourselves. Paul's letters to Ephesus (Ephesians 3 and 4) have a lot more info we can use to create prayers for others. Here's some things you can pray that come from those chapters, and you can pray them over your friends and family.


  1. Pray Christ dwells deep in their hearts.
  2. Pray they trust God and completely surrender.
  3. Pray they will be empowered by The Holy Spirit.
  4. Pray their faith is deep rooted and long lasting.
  5. Pray they will live a life worthy of their calling.
  6. Pray they will be humble, gentle, and patient.
  7. Pray they will resist evil and have a soft heart.
  8. Pray they won’t harbor any anger or bitterness.
  9. Pray for God to do more for them than they can imagine.
  10. Pray they grasp how wide, high, and deep God’s love for them is.
  11. Pray they will speak words of encouragement that build others up.


There are many examples of prayers in the bible. Research them, or modify other verses (like Paul's letters) into personal prayers. Then, ask The Holy Spirit to help you, guide you, and give you the right words. If you're feeling "stuck" and unsure what to pray about, maybe some of these examples will help you get started.


Read: Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18







Scripture references from NIV unless otherwise noted.