Prayer is not a “magic” formula to make God bless us. It’s not like a vending machine where if we put the perfect words in, we always get the expected result. No, it’s more like when we go to God with the right attitude, we can confidently expect God to respond with all that is best for us.

Part of the right attitude includes honesty and humility before God. It’s important to be honest with our Source; if you’re angry, disappointed, or frustrated by what God is doing (or not doing), please say so in prayer! As survivors we carry a lot of pain that sometimes we don’t even understand; we can cry out about that in prayer too.

Then the humility comes in when we add, after the honesty, something like “But God, I want to trust you even though I don’t understand.” Base your prayers in scripture that reflects Jesus’ attitude: “I want to live in Jesus’ love. Please help me do that.” (John 15:4) “Please help me believe that you will eventually turn evil into good for me.” (Romans 8:28) “Please fill me with hope. I need your help because I can’t make it on my own.” (Romans 15:13)