How to Pray When You Don’t Know How

First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men,

For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.

For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior,

Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-4, AMPC

How on earth do we pray for our leaders right now? I admit that I do not know how to pray in my natural mind for the leaders of my state and country. But still, we are commanded to pray FIRST of all for our leaders. So how do we pray when we don’t know how to pray?

Thank God, the Holy Spirit gives us express directions on not only when but also what and how to pray! 

These truths resonate so deeply inside of me–and especially lately–that I feel I must share a brief teaching with you on the subject of prayer. 

It is my deepest desire and personal prayer that you (yes, you!) grow into all the fullness of God, and that you increase and abound in all the things He is working in you, building you more and more into the image of Jesus. Amen to that!

When to Pray

By using the phrase,“…First of all…”, Paul teaches us the importance of praying for our leaders. 

The word “first” in the Greek is the word prōton, which describes something that is the very first thing in time or place; the principle thing; or first in rank. 

Before we pray for ourselves, our families, our pastors, or our churches–we are instructed to offer “petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings on behalf of all men…”

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 gives us more insight on when to pray in general:

16 Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); 17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; 18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

So we are to pray “unceasingly,” and that when we begin to pray, we are to pray FIRST for “all men,” then “for all who are in authority…”

That’s the when. 

What to Pray

Now, the what.

“…for all men…”
This refers to speaking to God about literally all of mankind, as in every single person on the planet. 

Um, how? This is impossible with your natural mind. How on earth can a person pray over all of mankind? Where would you start? There’s no way anyone can–with their natural, human understanding–pray effectively for all of mankind without the help of the Holy Spirit. That’s why it is absolutely essential that we employ the aid of the Holy Spirit to supernaturally strengthen and empower our prayer life. 

“…For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility…”

The word “kings” is the Greek word basileus, which describes a leader of the people or the lord of the land. This refers to the leader of our nation and the local government leaders that hold high positions of authority in our regions. Regardless of how righteous or wicked our leaders may be, we are expressly commanded to pray for them.

So how do we pray for our leaders when we don’t know exactly what to pray over them?

How to Pray

My main assignment today is to show you that the only way we can pray “without ceasing,” “for all men,” and for “all who are in authority” when we don’t know how to pray from our natural minds is to pray in the spirit. 

There are several Scriptures that define what it means to pray in the spirit. 

2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

1 Corinthians 14:2,14,15 

Jude 20 also speaks of “praying in the Holy Ghost.”

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost...

Romans 8:26 is a powerful passage that shows us exactly how the Holy Spirit takes hold with us in prayer by supernatural means that supersedes our natural mind’s ability to pray: 

“So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.“

The Holy Spirit can “take hold” with you as you pray in your native tongue, but much more so when you pray in tongues, for when you pray in an unknown tongue (that is, unknown to you, not God), your spirit prays (1 Corinthians 14:2). Your spirit is hooked up to the Holy Spirit, and when you pray in tongues, you are able to yield to His direction and movement in prayer.

One of my most trusted mentors calls it, moving freight in the spirit. She is completely scriptural when making that statement, for the Greek phrase used in Romans 8:26 describes a Helper coming alongside someone to move a heavy weight, like a boulder–as we pray with groanings and utterances “too deep for words.” (See Romans 8:26 in the Passion Translation)

Praying in the Spirit

Praying in other tongues! Praying in the Spirit! That’s the answer we have been looking for! That’s how we can pray for “all men,” and “all who are in authority.” 

Praying in tongues is, for many Christians, an untapped fountain of power and supernatural means of communication that should never run dry.  

For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. (1 Corinthians 14:2)

When we pray in tongues we are speaking out the mysteries of God!

When we pray in tongues we open up a direct line of communication from our spirits to God.

This is truly a spiritual, supernatural means of communication with God! When we pray in tongues, we pray out the mysteries of God that are beyond the reach of our natural minds.

We have all felt the utter inadequacy that comes with trying to articulate in our native tongue all that we feel deep in our spirits. Praying in tongues gives us that release; by tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit through praying in tongues, we release the deepest groanings of our spirit and our inner man pours forth abundant rivers of living water (see John 7:37-39).

A Note About Praying in Tongues

I am aware that I have introduced the topic of speaking in tongues without much background or context, but we will dive deep into the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the benefits of speaking in tongues as the Bible teaches soon enough. For today, I want to emphasize the importance of praying in tongues as a primary way of fulfilling the Holy Spirit’s charge to “pray always,” and to “pray for all men and all who are in authority.”

Certainly, you can pray in your native tongue over all men and over leaders, but the most effective and powerful way to pray out the perfect will of God is through praying in the spirit; or praying out the “mysteries” of God through praying in tongues.

Praying in tongues is one of the many benefits of salvation to the born-again child of God, but it is not to be sought by those who have not yet made Jesus the Lord of their life. Seeking entrance into the supernatural realm outside of the Blood covenant of Jesus Christ is a sure way to tap into the supernatural power of Satan, which oftentimes mimics the true power of God, but in the end is a cheap counterfeit.

I am specifically warning non-Christians to NOT seek out the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, or any other power that is expressly made available to God’s children through the Word of God. My deepest desire is that you come to know Jesus Christ as your Savior and the Lord of your life and receive forgiveness of sins first. You can’t walk in the benefits of salvation without first accepting Jesus!

If you can’t say for certain that you have made Jesus your Lord, please click here and pray along with me to receive the gift of salvation–right now! You can be born-again and receive the greatest miracle available to anyone–the gift of redemption, freedom, and relationship with God– and all the fullness of being adopted into His family!

We will present a proper introduction to praying in tongues in subsequent blogs. But today, my encouragement to you is to heed the instruction of the Holy Spirit to “first of all…PRAY.”

And if you pray in tongues, pray in tongues! Pray in the Spirit!

Allow the Holy Spirit to partner with you as you speak to God in your heavenly prayer language. In this way, you will be speaking out the perfect will of God over our leaders, governments, and nations.

Bless you! Shalom shalom!

Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash