When Prayer is Difficult

We have all been there.  Sometimes prayer is just hard.  The words don’t come easily and we feel like not much is happening.  Here are some things to remember when prayer is difficult.

Remember that Jesus’ Death Gives You An Audience with the Father
It is good to remind yourself why you are able to pray in the first place.  Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins and was raised from the dead.  He has ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of God making intercession for us.  For the person who is a Christian, the moment that we trusted in Christ, our sins were forgiven, we were justified in the sight of God, and given access to God himself.  For us, God is not a stranger.  He is our Father and He is our friend.  If prayer is tough, begin to meditate on these truths.  Remember this, because of Jesus’ death and your union with him, you know God and He hears your prayers.

Remember that God Works through the Prayers of His People
James says, “you do not have because you do not ask.”  He makes some statements after this that we will look at in a couple of paragraphs.  It is important to know that God works through our prayers.  God moves when His people pray.  It is one of the means through which God works in the world.  This is an invitation for us to ask some big things from God.  Think of the big thing that you want to pray for and pray for something even bigger than that.  God hears your prayers and works through them.

Remember that God’s Word Will Move You to Prayer
The Bible is God’s inspired and perfect word that speaks to his people.  If you are struggling to pray, begin by praying the words of Scripture.  The Psalms are great for this.  Read a line and then pray for something based on what you just read.  Let God’s word build a bridge into your prayers.  We treat Bible reading and prayer like to separate acts when they are inextricably tied together. Take what you are reading in your Bible reading and pray for yourself and the people around you based on that verse.  Pray for forgiveness for failing in what this verse is talking about.  Thank God for the truth of what you are reading.  If there is a command, pray for the Spirit’s power to enable you to fulfill this.

Remember that Unrepentant Sin and Unforgiveness Hinders Prayer
It is helpful at this point to go back to the James passage that we mentioned earlier.  James says that we do not have because we do not ask and that we ask and don’t receive because we want to spend what we receive on our passions.  He mentioned a couple of verses earlier the dissension that creeps into the church because of our selfishness.  At the conclusion of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus says that we will not be forgiven if we do to forgive.  This is not talking about our right standing with God in justification that comes by faith alone.  Jesus’ point has to do with our growth in grace and relationship with God.  Our relationship with God is hindered by our unforgiveness towards others.  If prayer is difficult, begin to search your life, repenting of sin and forgiving those who have wronged you as God Himself forgives you.

For Further Reading:
A Praying Life by Paul Miller
Praying Backwards by Bryan Chapell
The Valley of Vision