When Prayer is Hard

My habit in the first moments of consciousness is to talk with the Lord. They are usually very simple prayers, often just phrases, that reflect my concerns of the particular day.  I present myself to my Lord, inviting Him to work in me and through me.   

Last week, after yet another illness coming into our family, this time in my wife, my morning prayer was angry.  As I walked in the darkness, I said, “You seem like a capricious God. What are You doing?  Why should I talk to You,  when You keep silent and allow such pain? Just leave me alone!"  
I was not sure if I was forsaking God or if He was forsaking me, but I felt alone, without serenity.  

Just about every Christian experiences those kind of moments.  Pain is common in this life.  Talking to people in the congregation of our church yesterday, I heard about job stress, legal problems, illness, kids in rebellion, and more. 
Who among us has not dealt with physical pain, aging, or guilt? Sometimes these things come at us all at once like a tsunami that threatens to engulf us and sweep us away.   It is quite common to grow fearful on those days.   Since fear and anger live very close to one another in our emotions, one flows into the other.  We often tend to be incapable of sorting out the different emotions.   When we are in that place, the devil exploits the moment by tempting us to turn against the very One who can restore our peace.

Last week, when my fears fueled my childish anger with God, His wonderful Word sprang to mind:  "Pray without ceasing!"  (1 Thess. 5.17)  The Holy Spirit joined me in spiritual struggle. He invited me to defeat evil with obedience.   "Pray all the time, that's an order!" God said to me.   He doesn't tell me to pray nice prayers, or short prayers, or long prayers, or eloquent prayers;  but He does tell me (and you!) to keep our lines of communication open.   When we stop talking to our Father, we break the sweet fellowship we steal peace from ourselves. The Word instructs us that we must not  "worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel." (Philippians 4:6-7, CEV)

When prayer is difficult, when there is little delight in sharing our heart with the Lord, there are ways to remain faithful to His command to pray always. 

•          Use the words of another!   When words fail me, I turn to the Psalms or a borrow a song. Over the last couple of days a song we learned with the children at Vacation Bible School last summer has spilled from my heart again and again. It says, “Stand strong when life changes Stand strong through the ups and downs. Stand strong, for you know that  God is in control.”  New ideas? No. But coupled with a simple tune, it is a source of hope.

    

•          Let others pray for you!  Hearing the voices of others lifted to God on your behalf is like a soothing ointment spread on a wound.

•          Pray simply, using a single phrase!    When tempted, I might pray over and over, "Purify my heart."   When standing near a suffering saint, I sometimes repeat, "Lord, have mercy."   Even the name of Jesus, whispered to Him reverently, again and again, is a prayer.

•          Let the Spirit lead!   The Word gives this promise of His Advocacy on our behalf.  "The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." (Romans 8:26-27, NLT)

Prayer is not an option.  When we pray, we open up our lives to the power of God and, in ways that defy our understanding,  we become co-laborers in His work of building His Kingdom here on earth.    

Pray first, not last.
Pray often, not seldom. 
Pray boldly, not tentatively. 
Pray faithfully, knowing that He is faithful, even when you cannot discern His ways or hear His voice.

Here’s the word from the Word. "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.  Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping.  For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were." (Psalm 39:12, NIV) "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

"I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." (Psalm 56:12-13, NLT)
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The Prayers Of The Saints

Let these prayers of the saints

Be sweet smelling incense

Let these prayers of the saints

Be sweet smelling incense to Your heart

Matt Redman

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