There are moments in life when the pressure is just… too much.
Pressure from people.
Pressure from expectations.
Pressure from comparison.
Pressure from the world around you—and sometimes, the weight of your own internal doubts.
And it’s in those moments, when you feel stuck in your own silence, that you ask: “Lord… how do I pray when I don’t even have the words?”
In 1 Samuel 1:9–18, we find the story of a woman named Hannah who teaches us how to pray through pressure—how to pray when you’re speechless, weary, and hanging on by a thread. Her journey to peace didn’t come by having all the right words… it came by getting into the right position.
Let me walk you through it.
1. A Prayer That Starts With Pressure
Before Hannah ever uttered a word to God, she was surrounded—emotionally and mentally—by pressure. Her husband, Elkanah, loved her, but didn’t understand her. His love was performance-based—tied to what she could produce, not who she was. Peninnah, the other wife, mocked her regularly because Hannah had no children. And then there was Hannah herself—tormented by expectations she couldn’t meet and voices she couldn’t silence.
Year after year, the pressure increased. The Bible says Hannah was reduced to tears and couldn’t even eat (1 Samuel 1:7). Sound familiar?
We all face this kind of pressure:
- From loved ones who don’t understand our pain.
- From cultural standards that tell us we’re not enough.
- From our own minds, filled with “should’ve,” “would’ve,” and “not yet.”
And pressure, when left unchecked, eats away at peace.
2. Push Back—and Go to God Anyway
Here’s what I love about Hannah: she didn’t let the pressure push her away from God. She pushed back.
The Bible says she got up after the sacrificial meal and went to pray (v. 9). In other words, she made a move. She removed herself from the table, from the ridicule, from the people who didn’t understand… and she positioned herself before God.
Sometimes the most powerful prayer you can pray is just a movement toward Him.
Even in your silence.
Even with your tears.
Even when you have no eloquent words to say.
Push back from what’s stressing you… and step into a place of rest. That’s what Shiloh means—the place where Hannah prayed—it means rest. But not retreat. Rest like recharging. Rest like choosing worship over worry. Rest like positioning yourself before a God who sees you.
3. Pray From the Gut, Not Just the Mouth
Hannah’s prayer wasn’t polished. It wasn’t poetic. It wasn’t loud.
In fact, it was so quiet that Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk! But she told him—“I am pouring out my soul to the Lord” (v. 15).
That’s the kind of prayer that moves heaven.
Not the one with all the “right” words, but the one that comes from the gut. The one that doesn’t have grammar, but has grief. The one that doesn’t know what to say, but shows up anyway.
And in that prayer—Hannah wasn’t just asking for a child. She was surrendering what she was asking for. She said, “Lord, if you bless me with a son, I’ll give him back to You” (v. 11).
Here’s the truth: sometimes God holds the answer because He’s waiting to see what you’ll do with it.
- Will you use the blessing to flex on the people who mocked you?
- Or will you return it to the One who gave it to you in the first place?
Hannah made peace before she received her “yes.” Why? Because she decided to surrender the outcome. She gave the blessing back to God before she even received it.
4. Peace Comes in Surrender
After Hannah prayed, she wasn’t pregnant yet. Nothing had changed in her circumstance. But something had changed in her.
The Bible says, “She went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad” (v. 18).
That’s what surrender does.
When you let go of control…
When you stop obsessing over results…
When you give the pressure and the prayer to God…
Peace enters where anxiety used to live.
Take These With You: Practical Steps to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say
- Push Back and Step Away
Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Move away from the pressure, even if it means physically leaving a space or emotionally creating boundaries. Get to your “Shiloh”—your place of rest and worship. - Pour, Don’t Perform
Your prayer doesn’t need to be pretty. Just pour. Whisper. Cry. Sit in silence if you need to. What matters is that it’s real. - Surrender the Outcome
Ask boldly, but trust completely. Let God decide how and when. And if He answers “yes,” make sure your hands are open enough to give the blessing back.
Hannah teaches us that peace doesn’t always come when the problem goes away. Sometimes it shows up the moment we surrender the outcome, pray from the heart, and remember who’s really in control.
And when you don’t know what to say? That’s okay.
Just show up. Just pour. Just let go.
Peace will find you there.
