A Prayer That Doesn't Ask for Anything

On Stillness, Presence & Deep Rest

Most prayer is asking. We come to God with lists, needs, intercessions, desires. This prayer is different. It asks nothing. It simply shows up, open-handed, to be with God without agenda. Presence without petition. Communion without request.

There is nothing wrong with asking — Jesus taught us to bring our requests to God. But relationship is more than asking. Sometimes love is simply being together without needing anything from each other.

This prayer invites you to that kind of presence — asking nothing, expecting nothing, simply showing up.

Why We Always Ask

Our relationship with God often feels transactional — we come when we need something. This reflects our culture more than our faith.

• Prayer as emergency resource rather than daily communion
• Approaching God like a vending machine
• Measuring prayer's success by whether requests are granted
• Forgetting that God wants our presence, not just our petitions
• Treating relationship as exchange rather than communion
• Never learning to simply be with God

If your prayer life is mostly asking, you are missing dimensions of relationship that exist beyond petition.

Prayer Beyond Petition

The contemplative traditions have always known what modern Christianity often forgets — that being with God is itself the goal, not a means to get something else. Mystics speak of union, communion, resting in God — states where petition makes no sense because presence is everything.

Mary sat at Jesus' feet while Martha worked. Sometimes the one thing needed is simply being present.

A Non-Petitionary Prayer

This prayer asks nothing. It only offers presence.

Lord, I come with empty hands. I bring no list, no requests, no agenda. I am not here to ask for anything. I am simply here. Here to be with You. Here to offer my presence as You have offered Yours. I do not need You to fix, provide, heal, or change anything right now. I need only to be in Your presence — felt or unfelt, dramatic or ordinary. Let this be enough. Let showing up be the prayer. Let presence be the petition. I ask for nothing. I offer everything. I am here.

After the prayer, remain in that open-handed posture. Let the silence extend. Notice what it feels like to be with God without wanting anything.

Learning Presence

If non-petitionary prayer feels strange, these practices may help you cultivate it.

• Practice sitting with God before your requests surface
• Use breath as anchor — inhaling presence, exhaling agenda
• When requests arise, set them aside for later
• Thank God for His presence rather than asking for things
• Let silence be your primary language
• Trust that presence is valued by God as much as petition

Non-petitionary prayer deepens relationship. When you no longer come only when you need something, your communion with God matures into something richer.