What is an Unspoken Prayer Request

While growing up as a Christian, if you’d asked me, “what is an unspoken prayer request?“ I’d probably not understand what you’re saying. And to be honest, I never liked it when I started hearing about it. I always thought, and heard some preachers say too, that specific requests help God answer faster.

However, as I matured, God helped me to come to a better understanding of this very important ‘prayer request’. I had to go through my own experience for this to happen.

Since then, I know better.

What is an Unspoken Prayer Request?

An unspoken prayer is a prayer that isn’t specific in description. You might have heard someone request for prayers in a group without giving details. That’s an unspoken request.

But don’t misunderstand it. An unspoken prayer is a very powerful prayer. 

An example in the Bible is Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel. It is a heartfelt and powerful prayer, just not one with as many details as we are normally used to.

God is our refuge and help, and prayer is a great source of peace and comfort during hard times. 

When you go through hard times, praying and seeking for spiritual support from the Body of Christ – members of our Christian family – is very crucial to our victory.

But honestly speaking, you can’t always find the right words to express your needs before God. And God is very much aware of this, which is one of the reasons He gave us His Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:26 says: 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Romans 8:26

Through the help of the Holy Spirit, and because God is even more aware of your needs than you, He is able to articulate your internal groanings and pains, and supply all the help that you need.

Jesus, giving a hint of the existence of unspoken prayer, said in Matthew 6:8, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Reason for an Unspoken Prayer

Using my own experience and those of others I’ve witnessed, some people are unable to share the specifics of their prayer request because of the weight of it, not because they don’t want to. They just don’t know how.

For instance, how do you pray specifically for the needs of someone who just lost a loved one? Or someone dealing with a terminal illness? Sometimes, what you think they need might just be the tip of a deeper and larger need.

What words would you put in the mouth of a woman believing God for a child that would be enough to really express her heart?

Another reason could be shame. Yes, some people may not have the confidence to make some prayer requests explicit. However, their request is genuine and their cry is sincere. The fear of being judged keeps them from going deeper.

It is therefore not our responsibility to press for details or to judge, but to trust God and support them spiritually through prayers offered in compassion.

Ask and it shall be given

An unspoken prayer request should be received as a response to Jesus’ call to “ask, and it shall be given. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

In conclusion to the question, “What is an unspoken prayer request?”: When we pray, whether spoken or unspoken prayers, we bring God into the scene. Thus exposing our deep desires to He who sees the deepest of things, and is able to help us.

Share your prayer request!

We invite you to share your prayer request with us. Consider the combined faith of our page visitors and our prayer volunteers praying over you and believing God on your behalf for a miracle. 

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