The One Prayer I Pray When I Have Nothing Left to Give

Prayer can take many forms. From The Lord’s Prayer to using the ACTS method, praying Scripture, or using old liturgies, there are numerous ways to pray. While there is beauty, meaning, and purpose in these old, formulaic prayers, they can sometimes feel hollow and time-consuming during seasons of exhaustion. When we feel depleted, a short, honest prayer can be the best way to cry out to God. As long as our hearts come humbly before Him, He can hear the simplest and briefest of prayers, though they are devoid of historic language or recited phrases. An easily repeatable prayer can become a daily anchor during times of burnout, helping our faith to remain strong when our bodies and minds are not.

Even Christ, on the cross in His moment of utter weakness, uttered a brief and honest prayer to God. Believers, tired from searching for truth, cried out in short sentences for the Lord to help their unbelief. As long as our hearts are turned to God, He hears us and intercedes where our words fail.

A Foundation in Scripture

Psalm 62:1-2 reminds us that God knows our hearts and what we need before we ask, which means our prayers aren’t magic; rather, our connection with Him matters. “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.” God doesn’t need special words or formulaic prayers; He wants our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Scripture is full of examples, especially in the Psalms, of raw and honest prayer, and it is good to remember that these were not recited or based on a specific model; they were simply from the heart.

A Simple Prayer For When You Have Nothing Left

From this Scripture in the Psalms, we can craft a simple prayer for those times when everything feels a bit too much. When you feel the emotions beginning to overwhelm you or the weight of life wearing you down, pause and whisper, cry, or ponder this raw, simple prayer.

God, I am weak.

God, You are strong.

God, it is all too much.

God, You are enough.

Help me and lead me with Your wisdom and power.

Amen.

We know that God will answer all prayers that are prayed according to His will, and Scripture tells us that “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). We also know that God has promised to answer prayers for wisdom and to supply our strength. Praying this prayer is praying His promises to us.

Make it Part of Your Life

Write these words on a card and keep them in your purse, car, bathroom, kitchen, or office. Or have it made into framed art for your wall, a keychain, or a journal cover. Memorize it, put it to music, or teach it to your family. Even when life calms down a bit, this easy cry to God can be an opening to longer or more traditional prayers, and it can serve as a constant reminder that the language of our prayers doesn’t save us, but the posture of them matters more.

The Holy Spirit Himself will fill in the details of our prayers, and our all-knowing God will recognize the sweet-smelling aroma of our trust as we offer it to Him. Prayer is beautiful in all its forms because it is communion and obedience to God. The act of prayer, no matter how simple or how rich, is an act of faith, and it is our faith that matters most to God.

Don’t fear a lack of communion if you aren’t able to spend long, deep moments in prayer or to recite lengthy and historical prayers when you are in a state of weakness. Instead, reach out with a true, simple dependence on the One who hears and supplies all your needs.