When Prayer Feels Difficult
DEVOTIONS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS
When Prayer Feels Difficult
Have you ever been intimidated to pray in front of others? What if I say the wrong thing? What if I sound stupid? Some people seem to make prayer flow so easily, but you feel like you just never quite have all the right “lingo.”
Or maybe you’ve had doubts about your private prayers. Are the words I’m using adequate? Am I even worthy to speak to God? I don’t know what to say. Sometimes I even fall asleep trying!
I’m sure we can all relate to some extent. It’s natural to have different comfort levels with prayer, especially in group settings. However, we know that God wants to hear from us, and prayer should be a priority. Do we even need to expand on the many examples in the Bible of the power of prayer?
We often read of the Lord praying in the Gospels. Luke 5:15-16 says: “And vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed… But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” This shows how vital prayer was, even to the Son of God. In Luke 11, the disciples asked the Lord to teach them how to pray. Surely they realized the importance of prayer by watching His example. What better way to learn than to ask Jesus?!
The Lord’s model of prayer is surprisingly brief. It’s not filled with fancy spiritual words or catchy lingo. It’s a great encouragement to us if we’re feeling intimidated or inadequate by long prayers, or saying “all the right words.” Let’s take a look at Luke 11:2-4:
Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
Give us each day the food we need.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
That’s it! Just a few simple sentences. Imagine all the other things Jesus could have included in this example of prayer, yet He chose not to add extras when teaching His followers. In fact, in the parallel account from Matthew 6, Jesus actually cautioned against overly wordy or repetitive prayers, or using catchy words to impress people. This doesn’t mean that long prayers are wrong. Luke 6:12 says Jesus prayed all night before calling His disciples! But here, Jesus taught his disciples a simple prayer, so we can be sure our prayers don’t have to be a certain length or style to be “good” or “effective” prayers. The Lord knows our hearts and our intentions. He knows what we’re trying to communicate before we even start speaking. (Matthew 6:8).
Taking a closer look at each word or phrase that Jesus taught:
“Father” – This opening sounds familiar to us, but it would have been remarkable for the disciples to hear. God, the Creator of the universe, is accessible to us -- and not just accessible, but our Father. Christ-followers are part of God’s family. If we feel awkward in our prayers, we can remember that this is a conversation with someone who loves us and wants the best for us. We can remember that the Spirit who is in us actually cries out “Abba” (the Hebrew word for “daddy”). Like little children calling to their dad, we can come to God in prayer (Galatians 4:6).
“May your name be kept holy” – Although we can talk to God as our Father, we should also approach Him in reverence and awe. We might struggle to translate that into words, so it may be helpful to reflect on the lyrics of a worship song, or it can be as simple as acknowledging that God is holy. The glimpses we have of Heaven in Scripture emphasize heavenly beings declaring that God is holy (Revelation 4:8; Isaiah 6:3). If that’s what is going on in Heaven, we can be sure it’s a pattern we can follow when we pray.
“May your Kingdom come soon” - As Christians, our hope is not in this temporary world. We long for the future day when Christ’s Kingdom of love and peace will encompass the entire earth. Asking God to establish His Kingdom on earth also puts our prayers in perspective. It focuses our hearts on His mission for us until that time: spreading the good news of Jesus. It aligns our goals with God’s goals (1 John 5:14).
“Give us each day the food we need” – It’s easy to overlook God’s ongoing provision for us every day… the sun, the rain, our physical and intellectual abilities, our health… and any of the countless ways that the Lord steadily watches over us and maintains our well-being. Remembering that we rely on God for everything – even our most basic needs – will help us pray for, and appreciate, the silent and unseen ways the Lord cares for us.
“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us” - Some of us may feel tongue-tied when we approach our Father because of guilt about our past, or we may feel that our lifestyle hasn’t earned us a right to be heard. Jesus put those concerns to rest by telling the disciples to simply ask God to forgive them. Opening up to God and asking for forgiveness can help free the flow of conversation (fellowship) in prayer. It also helps us to walk more humbly, act more justly, and to understand mercy when it comes to those who have wronged us (Micah 6:8).
“Don’t let us yield to temptation, but protect us from the evil one” – 1 Peter 5:8 tells us the devil prowls around like a lion. There are constant spiritual battles in our lives, and we need God’s strength to overcome the difficulties and temptations we face every day. A loss for words during prayer is actually a reminder of our human weakness. This is a great time to pray for the strength that comes from God. Pray that we’ll be preserved from situations where we’ll be tempted. Pray that we’ll be delivered, not just from evil, but from the fiery darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:18). In fact, some of those darts might be aimed at discouraging our prayer life in the first place!
So, when prayer seems difficult, or our efforts seem inadequate, let’s follow the Lord’s example here. Start simply! Remember this straightforward model that the Lord laid out for us. Worship, a proper perspective, requests for basic needs, forgiveness, and protection can all be made in a few sentences -- and our Father is waiting.
Philippians 4:6-7 - Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
- Ron Reid, with Catherine Reid