What Athol Wrote...

Helping You Pray: There are times when praying is difficult. We may be tired or distracted or frustrated. Perhaps we have been away from the Lord and feel little inspiration to pray. It could be we’ve had a relational breakdown that has left us discouraged. And sin can deeply affect our desire to pray. When prayer becomes difficult here are a few helps…

1. Pray Scripture: Take a passage, read it, and pray over it. Such as; “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but should have eternal life.” I would pray something like this: “Lord, your love for a world that largely rejects you astounds me. Where would we be if you hadn’t sent your Son to die for us. I thank you for opening my heart to believe, that I can now have full confidence that my eternal destiny has been assured. I am immensely grateful.” Scripture is a great way to help you pray.

2. Worship: When prayer is difficult, worship can bring release. Read a series of worship Psalms out loud such as 8, 47, 48, 63, 84, 95, 96, 100, 103, 145. Worship makes prayer enjoyable and easier.

3. Thanksgiving: In a funk? Finding it hard to pray? Take out a piece of paper and write down all the blessings of God, everything He has done that has been wonderful in your life. Then thank Him for all the favor you’ve received. For instance: “I thank you Lord for my wife, Nikki, my family, for such a fantastic place to live, my health; for Little Church by the Sea, your grace, mercy and forgiveness, etc.”

4. Confession: Sin definitely waylays prayer. It freezes our hearts and clogs up our spiritual lifeline to God. The solution? Simply confess your sin and receive God’s forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 Confession frees us to pray.

5. Resisting the Enemy: James says, “resist the devil and he will flee from you.” An impasse in prayer, feeling stifled when desiring to pray, can occur through the intimidation of the enemy. Know the enemy hates prayer and will do anything he can to discourage it. When I feel hindered in prayer and sense it’s the enemy, I ask for the blood of Christ to cover me and then say, “Satan, the Lord rebuke you, you and all your helpers.”

6. Praying/Singing in the Spirit: Scripture exhorts us to pray and sing in the Spirit which can be an immense help when praying is difficult (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Corinthians 14:15). Words of Spirit-filled adoration combined with a melody from the heart breaks us through to God and helps us pray more effectively.

7. Walking: Staying stationary in prayer can sometimes make prayer difficult. Sitting, kneeling, or laying down and trying to pray can be challenging. Walking (on the beach, in my back yard, or in the Upper Room) helps me to pray more alertly. Or perhaps you’d like to run/jog while praying.

Athol here again. Jay suggests that you print this page and keep it with your Bible, to help you the next time you feel you're not connecting with the Lord. Sounds like a great idea to me!