Truths About Prayer to Encourage Us When Nothing Makes Sense
By Dr. Jason Robinson
There was a season when our family was holding on by a thread.
It was the kind of season that leaves you breathless, when nothing makes sense, and everything feels like it’s slipping through your fingers.
Someone we love was making decisions that didn’t just break our hearts, they shattered them. We prayed nonstop. We begged God to turn things around. We asked Him to fix what was falling apart. And yet, nothing seemed to shift.
We were confused. We were grieving. We were praying and wondering if He was even listening.
But God.
Two of the most powerful words in my life.
They’ve become a turning point in so many of our stories, where everything starts to change.
Because even though we didn’t see it at the time, He was listening. He was working, just not in the way we expected. He didn’t give us the outcome we prayed for, at least not yet. Instead, He gave us something we didn’t even know we needed: rescue.
We thought we were praying for restoration. God was leading us to peace and freedom.
It wasn’t denial.
It was protection.
It wasn’t rejection.
It was rescue.
And I can say now, looking back, He was right. He always is.
Prayer didn’t immediately remove the pain. But it carried us through it. It gave us peace when nothing made sense. It steadied our hearts when we didn’t know what to do next. And it reminded us, over and over again, that we were never alone in the chaos.
That season taught us things we couldn’t have learned any other way. And through it, these five truths about prayer became deeply personal to us. I hope they encourage you too:
Prayer anchors us when we don’t understand
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
There were so many moments when we couldn’t make sense of what was happening. But prayer reminded us: we don’t have to understand everything to trust the One who does.
Prayer reveals what we can’t see
“The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade” (Psalm 121:5).
Even when things felt unclear, God saw every hidden piece. He knew what was underneath the surface, and He protected us from what we couldn’t yet see.
Prayer gives peace in the middle, not just at the end
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
We often think peace only comes when the storm is over. But God gave us peace right in the middle of it, and that peace was proof He hadn’t gone anywhere.
Prayer helps us release what we were never meant to carry
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7).
We tried to carry the burden on our own. Prayer helped us surrender it, day by day, moment by moment. And in releasing it, we found rest.
Prayer opens the door to healing
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalm 34:18).
God didn’t just get us through it. He began to heal us in the process. Prayer didn’t just change the situation; it changed us.
If you’re walking through something that feels heavy or uncertain, don’t stop praying. Even if the words are messy. Even if all you can say is, “God, help.” He hears that. He responds to that. He’s already moving in ways you can’t see yet.
I don’t know how this chapter of our story ends just yet. But I do know this:
God is still good.
Prayer still works.
And “But God” might just be the phrase that flips the entire story for you, too.
I can honestly say that today, we’ve come out stronger than ever as a family.
But there’s still a piece that hasn’t come back together.
There’s still an empty seat at the table.
So, we keep praying.
We keep believing.
Because we know that what the enemy meant for evil, God will use for good.
Dr. Jason Robinson is a Professor of Education at Lee University in southeast Tennessee. Jason is a local, state, and national award-winning educator who has a passion for teaching and equipping the next generation of leaders. He and his family reside in Cleveland, Tennessee.