Why is it so hard to pray?
“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (MSG)
What a passage, right? If only it were this simple to be cheerful and pray and be thankful all the time. But, as many of us know, it’s hard to live with this kind of cheer and thanksgiving on a constant basis. Especially when prayer itself seems so hard to do.
Why is it so hard to pray?
For many people, it feels like nothing happens when they pray. They close their eyes; say some words or think some thoughts; then they wait and hear or feel nothing.
Is this what prayer is supposed to be? A blind wish toward the sky? Perhaps it’s not that prayer is hard or doesn’t work, but it's that we have the wrong idea of what prayer is to begin with.
We get it. It feels discouraging to pray and not hear anything in return or see any changes in your life. But we need to visit the Bible and to see what prayer looks like when some of the key figures in the Bible do it.
Prayer in the Bible isn’t transactional or laden with requests or demands for miracles. Look at the book of Psalms and you will find a wide range of songs and prayers composed by those pouring out their hearts to God. They praise Him when life is good. They cry out to Him when life is bad. But in each of those circumstances, they recognize God’s holiness and goodness and acknowledge how they hope in Him even when things are bad.
Even Jesus Himself, when praying in the garden before He was to be taken to be executed, asked God to take this burden from Him but said if it was truly God’s will then He would do it.
Be honest: How many of us actually pray like that in these examples? How many of us pray in earnest to God, seeking a connection with Him instead of approaching Him with requests or saying thanks before eating dinner?
None of this necessarily makes prayer “easier,” but it does help provide us with a more honest perspective that we should take toward prayer.
Prayer is about bringing us into contact with God. It’s about changing our hearts, so that we can do His will and love Him better and love our neighbors better.
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. We are currently going through a new sermon series titled “To Hell With Normal.” It’s all about redefining what we consider normal in life as we seek to make our lives more like the way Jesus would have them to be.
Do you want to grow in your faith or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.