Learning to Pray With Honesty When Life Feels Unsteady

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

There’s a difference between believing God is good and actually leaning on that when things wobble. Most of us know the first one, but the second one takes practice.

What might that look like as an honest prayer that maybe you can pray, today?

God, I need You to keep me steady. That’s really it.

I’m not coming in confident. I’m coming in honest.

I’m trusting You because I’ve tried trusting everything else.

And none of it holds up for very long.

You’re the one thing in my life that actually counts as “good,” even when the rest of it feels shaky. I’ve watched what happens when people chase other things, thinking those things will save them.

More money.

More certainty.

More being right.

It always costs more than it gives back. I don’t want that. So I’m sticking with You.

Not because I’ve figured anything out, but because You’re enough to stand on.

My life hasn’t turned out perfect. Some days it feels pretty far from it.

But it’s still mine. And somehow, even with the mess, it’s still a gift.

You don’t usually shout directions.

Most of the time, You just keep me from making things worse.

A quiet thought.

A pause.

A sense that I don’t need to react right now.

When I keep You in front of me, I don’t lose my balance as easily. I still get tired. I still get frustrated. But I don’t come apart the way I used to. I can rest a little.

Not because everything is okay, but because I know I’m not on my own.

You don’t leave people stuck in fear.

You don’t bail when life gets heavy.

You keep showing me how to live, one ordinary step at a time. And being with You brings a kind of peace that doesn’t depend on the day going well.

Well, that’s about it for now.

Thanks, Lord!

Amen.

© Gary L Ellis