Psalm 74:16, 17 
“The day is yours, and yours also the night; 
you established the sun and moon. 
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; 
you made both summer and winter. (NIV)

You own the day, you own the night;
you put stars and sun in place.
You laid out the four corners of earth,
shaped the seasons of summer and winter. 
(The Message)

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I’ve attended quite a few prayer meetings in my life. Every now and then, someone will say they have “an unspoken request.” Sitting here now, pondering that statement, we see the error. The prayer request was spoken. It was not, however, specifically explained. 

Today, I wrestle with one of those spoken and written, yet non-specific prayer requests. There are things I wish I could say but cannot. I trust you will join me in my prayers, even though you don’t know the details. 

On days like this one, it’s good to remember verse 16 above. Lectio 365 often uses this verse in their evening meditations. It helps me get to sleep. It helps me sleep peacefully. It helps me rest well. 

This verse reminds us that God is in charge here. Everything started with him. Everything will finish when he says it’s done, and it will be done his way and in his timing. 

“The day is yours, and yours also the night; . . . .”

Simply speaking these words aloud, alone, brings comfort. 

Being reminded of these words works the same kind of medicine into my heavy heart. 

Spring has sprung; winter has given way. The greenest greens of the year are now on display. Trees and flowers bud and bloom. Some of last year’s leaves were unwilling to let go until now. The assurance of new life gave them the nudge. March wind did what it always does. 

Day and night; night and day,
Seasons change with a fresh display.

Our Father in heaven is orderly and timely. 

Some prayers are not answered in the season in which they are prayed. 

Do you remember the movie Field of Dreams? Do you recall a brief scene where Ray sits by the window watching it snow? He wonders if the voice he heard was real. Spring was gone. Summer had passed. Autumn had settled into winter. The field that he had built had not yet produced the promised return of his baseball hero and the catcher he called “John . . . Dad.”

Sometimes, our prayers are answered after seasons have changed. 

Sometimes, our prayers are answered better than we prayed them. May this be true for those requests too personal, too private to speak aloud. 

May God hear and answer our unspoken prayers, our specific concerns too close to our emotional centers, too deep for words.

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I will bring my prayerful groans to God.

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Our Father, you know. Only you know. Here I lay this concern before you. Amen.