Sick and Tired, Ran Out Of Prayer Power?

Have you ever been so ill for so long that you are so sick and so tired that you feel like you ran out of prayer power? Chronic illness can feel like it has sucked the life out of us and even our prayers feel lifeless and dull. God gives us exactly what we need at all times. He even gives us the perfect prayers when we have no more to muster up ourselves.

Prayer Power

There have been many times throughout chronic illness that I lost my power to come up with any words for any prayers. Just plum out of words and emotions rubbed raw by the surrounding circumstances.

God does not want us there. He wants us to be able to call on His power and rise above the circumstances.

He gives us the words for prayer when we have run out.

A Psalm A Day

God always provides, in every circumstance, every situation. Even when chronic illness has taken its toll.

God even makes it easy for us!! A Psalm a day is super easy.

We can start with just simply reading one Psalm a day. If you cannot visually see the text, play the audio version. It is all FREE.

There are 150 Psalms so you won’t get bored! Seriously, they are filled with so much adventure and provide the perfect words for prayer, over and over again.

I am familiar with the numbness that can come with prolonged chronic illness. It does not mean we have lost faith. The warm fuzzies have certainly dulled but that does not mean our faith has been diminished.

Warm Fuzzies

Warm fuzzies are not Jesus himself. Warm fuzzies are of this world. So this actually is a great time to be able to numb out the warm fuzzies of “religion” and move deeper into your relationship with Jesus.

Use this time of chronic illness, numbness, and a lack of words to reframe your prayer life.

ONE-A-DAY Psalms

Try it. One-a-day, just one.

I use BibleGateway as a FREE tool to get scripture online. I can make it as large as I need it to be so I can see it. On days when I need audio instead of visual, BibleGateway provides it, for FREE.

I keep this very simple. January 1st I start with Psalm 1. On January 2nd I move to Psalm 2, and so on.

When I get to the end (Psalm 150), I start over.

By the end of the year I will have read through Psalms twice (allowing for days I have missed).

Each year I start over, no matter where I am in the process.

Each year of illness, I am provided with God’s words for the perfect prayers every single day.

As I move through this process, I slowly move into feeling more connected, more capable of having some words of my own to pray.

It really can be this simple. Use God’s words for our prayer life when we are so sick and tired that we run out of prayer power.

Today is an example of a powerful prayer that God provides in His Psalms:¹

1Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
² Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
³ My soul is in deep anguish.
    How long, Lord, how long?
⁴ Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
    save me because of your unfailing love.
⁵ Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
    Who praises you from the grave?
⁶ I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
    and drench my couch with tears.
⁷ My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
    they fail because of all my foes.
⁸ Away from me, all you who do evil,
    for the Lord has heard my weeping.
⁹ The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
    they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

~ Psalm 6 (NIV)

The Lord’s Prayer

When following along day by day in Psalms even feels overwhelming, head over to the Lord’s Prayer.

May you allow God to nourish you with the perfect words for the perfect prayers, to draw you close to Jesus.