From the recording Miles Apart, Standin' Still
Messy Prayers
“Messy Prayers” is about learning that prayer does not have to be polished to be heard.
This song comes from the honest place where words wander, thoughts drift, names come and go, and the heart sometimes loses its place halfway through. It is not about perfect sentences, formal language, or knowing exactly what to say. It is about reaching out to God in the only way you can, even when the prayer doubles back, changes direction, or ends up somewhere you never meant to go.
At its heart, this song is about trust. Trust that God hears the heart behind the words. Trust that grace is big enough for unfinished thoughts, distracted minds, and prayers that do not come out clean.
“Messy Prayers” is a song about simple faith, honest conversation, and the comfort of believing there is still a whole lot of grace in prayers like mine.
— Lane Alan Dumser
Lyrics
My prayers ain’t neat like the songs I write
They don’t line up clean, don’t fall into place
They wander off and double back
Lose their place, often drift off track
I start with thanks, then my mind runs loose
Say a name or two, then I change the route
Lose what I was sayin’ halfway through
And end up somewhere new
But I figure He hears the heart behind the words
Even when they wander, don’t come out the way I planned
Ain’t gotta sound right, ain’t gotta be long
Just me talkin’ it out like I’ve done all along
Yeah I’ve come to believe somewhere along the way
There’s a whole lot of grace in messy prayers
Yeah a whole lot of grace in messy prayers
Some days I remember the ones in need
Other days it’s just what’s in front of me
And somewhere in between all that
Is a quiet moment where I’m at
I ain’t got a script, I ain’t got a plan
Just reachin’ out the only way I can
And maybe that’s enough sometimes
Not gettin’ it right, just speakin’ my mind
But I figure He hears the heart behind the words
Even when they wander, don’t come out the way I planned
Ain’t gotta sound right, ain’t gotta be long
Just me talkin’ it out like I’ve done all along
Yeah I’ve come to believe somewhere along the way
There’s a whole lot of grace in messy prayers
Yeah a whole lot of grace in messy prayers
I ain’t tryin’… to fix ‘em anymore
Yeah there’s a whole lot of grace in prayers like mine
And that’s enough most nights