Praying Your Heart
Week 2 – Pray Continually
Practicing prayer throughout the day
Prayer Practice: Praying Your Heart
Day 14, Saturday, January 17
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
- Psalm 62:8
It’s easy to think that emotions are simply part of our flesh. In fact, we sometimes forget that God wired us for emotional experience. God Himself is described as one who grieves when we sin, who has compassion on those who fear Him, and who delights in His children.
Praying your heart is not about approving or justifying every emotional experience we have. Instead, it’s about treating our emotions as nudges—reminders to turn to the Lord in prayer.
Anxiety becomes an invitation to trust in the Lord.
Gratitude becomes an invitation to give thanks.
Anger becomes an invitation to lament.
Joy becomes an invitation to praise.
Embarrassment becomes an invitation to live for an audience of One.
Rather than pushing emotions away or lettingting them run unchecked, we learn to turn them Godward. The psalmist tells us that trusting in the Lord at all times looks like pouring our hearts out before Him. If we trust God with our salvation, we can trust Him with our emotions.
To help with this, we can use a simple framework called POUR
How to Practice
As you move through your day, notice what you’re feeling—especially when emotions rise unexpectedly. When they do, POUR your heart out before the Lord.
P — Pause
Slow down long enough to notice what’s happening inside you. You don’t need to fix anything yet—just stop.
O — Observe
Name the emotion honestly. Anxiety. Gratitude. Frustration. Joy. Fear. Weariness. Call it what it is.
U — Understand
Bring the emotion before God and ask:
Where does this emotion come from?
Why might I be feeling this way?
Do I feel about this the same way Christ does?
R — Release
Entrust the emotion to God in prayer. Ask Him to shape it, redeem it, or guide you through it. Let Him carry what you cannot.
Gentle Reminder
God is not surprised by our emotions—nor does He want us to ignore them or experience them apart from Him. As we pour out our hearts before the Lord, we invite Him into our emotional life and allow His Spirit to sanctify even what we feel.
