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Have you ever wanted to pray but couldn’t find the words to express how you were feeling?

Scripture tells us we should take everything to God. All of our emotions. All of our fears. Everything. And yet it is not always easy to put what we are experiencing into words, especially words we deem appropriate for God. The psalmist was great at doing this. He cried out to God in moments of joy, anger, frustration, and peace. It seems he always knew exactly what to say to express himself well. But the truth is we are not all psalmists. We long for the same level of intimacy, but we don’t always have the words to get us there.

This is where liturgical prayers come in. Liturgical prayers give us the words to express our emotions when we can’t find them on our own. They are prefabricated words we can resonate with on a deeper level. So much so they become our own prayers as we read and recite them.

And, as an added benefit, they remind us we are not alone. Others have been where we are and can understand our heart’s cries. 

My guests today are the co-authors of Liturgies of Hope. Elizabeth Moore and Audrey Elledge believe the pandemic created an acute need for liturgical prayers. The chaos and uncertainty of COVID left many with a desire to cry out to God in new and fresh ways, including themselves. And yet, they did not always have the words to express what they were feeling.

Elizabeth and Audrey wrote these prayers to help themselves and their church, and now they are sharing them with the world. Join us today as we discuss how liturgical prayers can help us:

  • Pray earnestly about our emotions
  • Embrace the mystery of faith
  • Develop a deeper relationship with God

When our emotions run wild, it is not always easy to verbalize our feelings. Often we want to run to God. We want his comfort. His protection. His love. Yet, we don’t know how to settle ourselves and express these desires in the midst of our emotions. Liturgies help us unlock the door of our deep longing for God. They nourish our souls. And repeating them helps form us into persons whose affections are on Jesus. 

He is constantly offering himself to us.

He wants to engage with us. 

Liturgies give us words and a wonderful way to engage back.

 

Highlights from Today’s Episode

  • Pray earnestly about your emotions
  • Embrace the mystery of faith
  • Develop a deeper relationship with God

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Let’s Talk!

  1. How do you currently navigate the emotional ups and downs of life?
  2. What emotions might be easier to express to God through liturgical prayers?
  3. Have you ever memorized a prayer and kept it on repeat in your spirit because it gave you peace and closeness to God?

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