“Heartfelt – an adjective used to describe strong, deeply felt, and sincere feelings and emotions.” Oxford Dictionaries

My husband is a man of few words. When I ask him how he feels, no matter how he is doing, he usually answers me with a one or two-word answer. Before dinner, he says grace, and if one of our kids or grandkids has a problem, same thing…he says a very short prayer for help for them.

I was thinking about his communication style the other evening after he was asleep, and I sensed the Spirit drop the word “heartfelt” into my mind. You see, when my husband does say something, he is very sincere about it. He doesn’t use twenty words when five will do.

I remember some of the most heartfelt prayers I ever prayed. My husband had a stroke and was bleeding inside his brain. The doctor told us that unless the bleeding stopped, there would not be much hope for him. The bleeding was in a place in his brain that they were unable to go in and operate.

That evening, I went into my room and just stared up at the ceiling. I just felt so much pain and suffering that I could not even mouth the words I was thinking. I knew that the Lord heard me, even though no words were spoken. Thankfully, he survived, and I know that I do not even need to utter a word to the Lord when I am overwhelmed.

What about you? Do you have a desire to pray, but you don’t know how? Do you think that you need certain words to express your feelings? Take comfort in the fact that the Lord doesn’t need your spoken words to answer your prayers. He can and does know the thoughts and prayers of your heart.

“For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7