You can trust that the simplest prayer--such as, "Lord, help my friend. In Jesus' name. Amen"--offered with faith in the God-man, Jesus Christ, is heard by God.
Don't worry about how big or strong your faith is; come to God with whatever faith and whatever will to faith you have. The effectiveness of our prayers doesn't depend on the strength or largeness of our faith, but on the strength and greatness of the God to Whom we pray. (Jesus says that faith as big as a tiny mustard seed will do.)
When you pray, don't try to micromanage God's answer. You can't do it anyway and it can be an indication of a lack of faith in God when we try.
Finally, don't worry about being eloquent when you pray. All we need do is place our needs and the needs of those for whom we pray before God through our faith in the only One Who gives us access to God, Jesus. God's "Spirit helps us in our weakness. [Because we] do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."
In prayer, the simpler, the better. And, the most trusting, the best.
[Blogger Mark Daniels is the pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church, Centerville, Ohio.]
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