Ever Interceding

Overcoming Prayer Struggles

BY DIANA BROWN

Do you ever struggle to pray?

Sometimes, finding the time or even the desire to pray can feel like a chore. Other obstacles to a vibrant prayer life might include wondering: How do I talk with God? Or What do I say?

Regardless of the current stage of your Christian walk, here are some thoughts to make it easier for you to pray more boldly and regularly as you become ever interceding.

GOD WANTS YOU TO COME TO HIM.

When it comes to talking to God, there are two key things that the Bible points out:

God hears us when we pray/talk to Him. God wants us to pray/talk to Him.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. (Jeremiah 29:12 ESV)

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. (I Peter 3:12 ESV)

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24 ESV)

There should be no doubt that we have access or permission to talk to God. God is our Heavenly Father, and the Bible is clear that He wants to hear from us!

PRAY IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

It’s tempting to think that prayer should be a well-written script, put together with biblical terms to sound holy enough for God. But the truth is, we often overcomplicate prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God, not a speech or a formal monologue that we must first write out and then practice.

Prayer is a personal conversation with God. God chose us, and therefore, He knows us. He knows your personality – and He loves you. You don’t need to change your voice, tone, accent, or vocabulary to suit Him.

For example, there is no reason for a simple prayer like “Lord, thank you so much for loving me” to be translated into: “Most excellent Heavenly Father above, thank you kindly for your amazing love that is bestowed upon me this day.”

I know that sounds a bit extreme, but trust me when I say that so many people try to formalize their prayers because they want to sound “holy.” But check out what Jesus himself told his disciples regarding this:

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8 ESV)

God, being God, already knows what you need or want before you even ask Him. So, there is no need to try to impress Him by packaging up your prayer into some long, elaborate text that doesn’t even sound like you.

God simply wants us to talk to Him. And when we do so, we should be our authentic selves.

PRAY WITH RESPECT.

God wants us to be ourselves when we pray, yet we must also remember to whom we are speaking.

Our God is the Almighty, the Beginning and the End, the Creator of all that is and all that ever will be, King of kings and Lord of lords, and sovereign over all. He’s God! Even in our authenticity, we must show respect when we talk to God. The Bible uses the term fear on many occasions to describe how our attitude and approach should always be towards God. For example:

Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! (Psalm 33:8 ESV)

The word translated as “fear” does not mean “afraid or scared” in this case, but instead means to stand in awe or reverence of God. To worship Him and be respectful to Him because of who He is. We should ALWAYS approach God with reverence.

PRAY HUMBLY.

Never approach God from the perspective of exalting yourself. After all, we are all sinners who have been saved by God’s grace.

Jesus explains this principle:

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14 ESV)

Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation. (Luke 20:46-47 ESV)

PRAY FROM YOUR HEART.

Nothing in Scripture says how long a prayer must last or how many words it should contain. Genuine prayer is authentic and from the heart.

There will be instances when you won’t have much time to pray. For example, your prayer before a meeting that you’re nervous about might be as simple as “Father God, please let this be good news.” Or if you are at your wit’s end and genuinely don’t know what to do, all you may be able to say is, “Father God, please help me.”

God already knows what’s on our minds, but He wants us to talk to Him about it anyway. Talking to God from our heart not only shows that we acknowledge His presence in our lives, but it also shows that we trust Him. That we have faith that He can and will answer our prayers.

When we take to heart that God wants us to come to Him and remember to pray in our own words, with respect and humility, and from our heart, we will see our prayer struggles begin to melt away. God wants prayer to be a natural part of our lives and is pleased when we come to Him with even short conversations throughout the day as we build our relationship with Him.

May your prayer life be strengthened and emboldened as you become ever interceding!

Diana Brown is a woman of many accomplishments. She is, foremost, a mom. She is also a former school teacher, Intel Teach to the Future, and Discovery Channel Star Educator. Although born in Cuba, she has lived most of her life in South Florida and recently moved to Michigan as a newlywed. Diana trusted Christ as her Savior as a teenager and later attended Florida Bible College. She exhibits enthusiasm in every area of her life, especially in her love for Jesus. Diana is the Prayer Director for Women World Leaders and writes this column in the Voice of Truth on prayer, which is her heartbeat.