I suspect we’ve all been there. We know we’re supposed to be praying without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), but sometimes it’s hard to pray at all. It’s almost as if nothing within us wants to pray even though we know better. If that’s where you are today, here are some possible steps to take:
- Get someone else to pray for you to start praying again. We need the prayer support of other brothers and sisters in Christ if we don’t feel like praying. They can stand in the gap while God’s adjusting our heart.
- Ask someone else to pray with you daily. Enlist that person, and then ask him or her to lead the prayer on your behalf. Praying with someone is a step in the right direction, and you don’t have to be the one verbalizing the prayer.
- As you pray with another person, together ask God to show you your hindrances to prayer. The hindrances could be several (e.g., ongoing sin, consuming worry, uncontrolled bitterness, self-dependence, etc.), but let God bring to your mind the primary hindrance in your life. Then, briefly ask Him to help you overcome it.
- Talk to a pastor if needed. A good pastoral conversation followed by prayer might help you deal with whatever’s in the way of your praying. Don’t try to change your pattern alone.
- Start somewhere; do something. Even if you pray a one-sentence prayer during the day, that’s better than not praying at all. It’s not where you should want to land, but it’s a start. The fire will grow, even if it takes a while.
- Meet with someone you believe prays well, and ask questions about prayer. If you spend intentional time with a prayer warrior, you’ll likely learn that he or she, too, has had dry spells in the past. Then, listen and learn about ways to grow in prayer.
- Read the Lord’s Model prayer aloud several times throughout the day. Using either Matthew 6:9-13 or Luke 11:2-4, follow the Lord’s teaching to pray. Don’t let the prayer become formulaic, but use it to “jump start” your prayer life.
- Do the same with prayers of the psalmist or prayers of the apostle Paul. Read them slowly. Meditate on them. Let them sink in. When the Lord leads, pray to Him in response to the prayers you’ve read. If you need guidance in finding the prayers in the Bible, maybe these articles will help: here and here.
- Ask some friends about their prayer requests—and keep your word to pray for them. Even when prayer is difficult, your burden on behalf of others can motivate you to pray more. You might find, too, that your friends really need your prayers.
Readers, help all of us grow in prayer. Tell us what has helped you in the past.
1. I find it much easier to pray when I am walking than standing, sitting, kneeling, or assuming some other posture. At times I pray with my hands in front of me, palms turned upward. At times I pray with my hands clasped together in front of me. At time I pray with my hands hanging loosely at my side.
2. Prayer is a two-way conversation, not a monologue. We pray and God listens. God speaks and we listen.
3. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God is always with us. He is present in our innermost being. We need to “practice the presence of God,” in other words, to be mindful of God’s presence with us.
4. Prayer does not require a special time or a special place. It can be offered at any time, in any place. Indeed, we can converse with God throughout the day as we go about our daily activities.
5. I usually pray aloud if the circumstances permit.
6. If someone asks me for prayer or needs prayer, I pray for them right away in their presence.
7. If a need or concern comes to mind, I send a brief arrow prayer winging to the throne of grace.
8. I avoid long, wordy, repetitious prayers. God is not impressed by these kinds of prayers.
9. When we pray, we share our intimate thoughts, concerns, and desires with God. I find it helpful to remember what Aslan said to Shasta in C. S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy. “Tell me your sorrows.” God wants to hear our joys too. God knows our needs before we ask but he wants to hear from us.
10. Too often we go to God with a laundry list of requests. Prayer is communion and fellowship with God. We need to cultivate the ability to sit quietly in his presence and to enjoy his nearness and his love.
11. In praying, we align our will with God’s, not the other way around. God may not answer our prayer right away because we are praying for the wrong thing. Our will is not aligned with God’s. How do we know what is God’s will? Jesus’ life and his teaching reflect God’s will.
12. For me singing God’s praises is a pathway to prayer. It helps me to focus my mind on God, to center my thoughts on him. Before I pray, I ask God to search me and show me any sin that I need to confess and for which I need to ask his forgiveness. I usually pray for others first and myself last.