Sometimes prayer barely has words. We hardly know what to say, or we don’t know at all; maybe we can’t even speak. We are at the end of ourselves, and there is no good solution.
Our tears can be prayers, too. Jesus prayed a wordless prayer when, out of compassion for his friends Mary and Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died, Jesus wept (John 11:35). In the garden, as he was preparing to be hauled off, beaten nearly to death, and ultimately crucified, Jesus, his face caked with dirt and tears, prayed a simple, desperate prayer:
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
— Matthew 26:39
It’s okay if sometimes our prayer is simply to lay ourselves in the Father’s arms — or collapse there — and rest, trust. God is great, and he is good.