Praying is a very difficult task. Ask any strong Christian you know, and they will probably admit that it is not as easy as they make it seem. We often hear lengthy yet genuine prayers to God in worship settings and within our Christian circles, but have you ever wondered how it seemed so easy?
I have always struggled with repetitive prayers and feeling as if I was stuck when talking to my heavenly Father. I hear people offer up prayers that make mine feel unworthy, and I often wondered if it was worth my time.
After spending some time thinking about these things, I came to realize that my mind had become the judge instead of God. I was more focused on trying to sound the best, mention the most people, and remember everyone who was struggling—not out of genuine concern, but because I was praying to seem like I was as “good” as the people around me. It reminded me of the time Jesus was speaking in Matthew 6:7, when He said, “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.”
How often have we, as the people of God, fallen victim to the judge within our minds? Looking back, I am sure we have all struggled with this. Maybe we have allowed ourselves to focus on sounding good on the outside rather than being truly devoted on the inside. To combat this, these are a few principles about praying that often help keep me focused on genuine thoughts and specific prayers:
- Take time away (Mk 1:35-41): We see Jesus come onto the scene proclaiming the kingdom of God boldly, but even He needed time away to speak to His heavenly Father. In the midst of chaos, we rarely have time to spend unused or in a quiet place, and maybe that is a problem for us. Taking intentional time each day to retreat and be with God is crucial. It can drastically shift our focus and help free our minds from worry.
- Praying intentionally (Jn 17): In contrast to myself, I see Jesus praying for His disciples so that God would bless their mission and the upcoming trials. When reading this chapter, we do not see Jesus simply go down a checklist of people to make sure He mentions them. Instead, we see Him spend specific time with God, asking that God would be with the disciples and what they were about to go through. Spending time genuinely asking for God to help people allows us to stay in touch with those who are emotionally hurting and seek God’s intervention on their behalf.
- Praying with others: This may be the most difficult on this list to do, but allowing others to spend time with you and pray on your behalf can be powerful. Being surrounded by those whom you love and who love you completely humbles you, but it also allows you to be built up by the children of God. Families, husbands and wives, parents and children—do not let this step go untouched.
Praying may not always be easy for us, but having an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father is not always easy either. It will always be worth it in the end.
Christian Cherry
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.