When you don’t know how to pray for a friend, just say their name to God and sit there.

Not knowing what to ask for is usually a sign that the situation is genuinely complicated, not that you are doing it wrong. A name is enough. Holding somebody in mind without a request attached is the honest version when you cannot see what would help. Silence is not a failed attempt at words.

When a friend is in the middle of something you do not understand, stop composing the right sentence. Say their name, stay there a minute, and let that be it. Then send them a message that asks nothing and offers nothing clever.