“You took the words right out of my mouth.”
You’ve either said or thought this before, haven’t you? Surely you have heard someone speak something that you were scrambling to articulate. There are those times when one expresses the very thing that moves beyond thoughts forming in your mind to a deep place within your soul. It amazes me when someone who I have never met speaks to my situation so well that I know that I am not alone.
While original prayer has its place, there is strength in praying words that someone else somewhere else has prayed. We can find rest in the words of the psalmists (“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me” Psalm 23:4a), and wrestle along with the prophets (“O Lord, how long shall I cry, and you do not hear?” Habakkuk 1:2a). As I mentioned in my previous post, praying beyond your words can be a powerful experience.
Autumn 2016 brought its share of stress. I felt bare, like a tree that lost its leaves. The presidential campaign and election left me disillusioned and drained. Even before that, I had faced new challenges that found me second-guessing myself. I battled what many call the imposter syndrome. But then I found the words I needed, and prayed these words as my own:
“Since it is by your mercy that I am engaged in this ministry, I do not lose heart”
2 Corinthians 4:1 (adapted)
“When I am tempted to doubt myself and question my gifts and experience,
remind me, God, of all that I know and that which I don’t know that I know.
Remind me who I am and whose I am.
Even when I hide behind my piety to avoid doing what must be done,
and use you as an excuse for indecision, for lack of action, for silencing myself.
Love me enough to lift the lid off my basket, order me to stop crouching in the dark,
like a woman without a God.”
Renita Weems, Showing Mary:
How Women Can Share Prayers, Wisdom and the Blessings of God
Words from the mouth of an eternal God can transcend time and meet you where you are. Yes, it is good to pray in your own words, but there is also sacred space for prayers that are loaned and don’t have to be returned. These borrowed prayers become kept prayers, and for that, I am grateful.
Your Call: What are some of your go-to prayers when you can’t find the words to fully express what is in your heart? Send one up to God today and feel free to share below in the comments. Consider using resources such as the Psalms, the Book of Common Prayer, and Pray as you go to as you seek other prayers that can become yours.
What is your relationship with words? I have loved words for as long as I can remember. Emerging from my neighborhood library with an armload of books was my weekly ritual as a child. Now that I’m good and grown, words are my livelihood. I get paid to speak and write, and my ability to put words together is often assessed in one way or another. My core spiritual practices and gifts are wrapped up in words and I typically delight in that.
