Lord, I want to pray but I don’t have the words

Have you ever thought I want to pray, I need to pray, but I just don’t have the words to say? As a young believer I was often in this place, and even as I have matured in God and faced difficult times, I have felt this way.  Sometimes I have had words to pray with but those words did not seem to be enough. Not pretty enough, not powerful enough, not even sufficient to express my feelings, my needs or even my appreciation for God. Over the years God has brought me through these times with a scripture from Romans 8:26-27 (NASB) “Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
The most important element of these scriptures, to me, is trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide my prayer.  I do believe in praying in tongues, or a Holy Spirit language given to us for prayer and communication with God directly from our spirit man instead of our own thinking. So, I often yield myself to the Spirit to speak in a language unknown to my mind but employed by the Holy Spirit that dwells within me.  However, I do not think these scriptures only apply to praying in an unknown language.  I think that the indwelling Holy Spirit can direct our prayers in English (or whatever native language you speak) and that He does lead us to pray in His will and according to His wisdom.
If this is so, how do I yield to the Holy Spirit in prayer?  First, don’t overcomplicate it.  Prayer is truly a conversation with God.  When we are conversing with a friend we focus upon them, listen as they speak and are not greatly concerned about how pretty and flowery our language is.  We are not there to impress but rather to share, understand them and be understood by them. God is my best friend and most of my prayer is based upon a conversation or discussion with my best friend!  I know I don’t have to sound impressive I just want to express my heart to Him. I like the Bible passage written by Paul the Apostle in 1 Cor. 2:4-5. Although it is not directly about our words in prayer it still applies to our thinking about how we “sound” when we speak. Paul describes his preaching this way “And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.” When I am applying this idea to my conversations with God, I am asking that my prayer is not resting on my intelligence, wisdom or ability to speak well.  Rather I want the Spirit to pray with honesty, simplicity and power that comes from Him and faith in Him, not in my own strength.
I often begin my prayer time with worship and gratitude toward God.  I recall and repeat things God has already done for me and thank Him for his daily care toward me. I try to remember that He wants to speak to me as much as He want to hear from me, so I pause and listen during my prayer times. My heavenly Father loves me as His child, so He wants to help me, instruct me and hear about my concerns and needs.  But He also wants to share His love with me.  He desires me to respond with my love back toward Him.  He is also teaching me His ways of love, value and appreciation for others, so that I am not fully self-focused. Are the these not the characteristics we want our own children to grow into?
Finally, another help in prayer is the power of His Word.  When I am seeking Him to answer a need or lead me in a certain direction, I will often pray scriptures that apply to my need or desire.  I find that as I declare His Word and His promises out loud my faith increases and I remember His care for me.  I can boldly claim the promises of His Word.  I may not see them immediately come to pass but I will continue to declare them and believe that He is faithful to His Word.  His timing is perfect, and He will instruct me in my conversations with Him about any effort or change that I may need to make in order to prepare for His fulfilled promise in my life. Praying His Word keeps me aligned with His will and I can stand upon His promise of 1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” We may not see an immediate answer, or one that looks exactly like our expectation, but He is faithful and He will provide, supply and lead us into the fulfillment of our prayers that are aligned with His will and His Word.