Prayer when we struggle with prayer
by: Pastor Kyle Norman
Bible Reading:
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Have you ever had trouble praying? Have you ever had trouble deciding what words to say or use? You never wanted to grow in prayer, but did you just not know where to start? you are not alone. Prayer is one of the things we all struggle with. Even the most saints experienced frustration and disappointment when it comes to their prayer life.
When we are discouraged by prayer, we often believe that the path we will go on is simply mastering the technique. I consider this issue to be one of the forms or words. But in doing so we make the issue of prayer more complicated and difficult than it needs to be. And when those words don’t come, we somehow feel that we have failed. The frustration of prayer comes from our belief that our faith is defective or weakened.
But prayer is not about the eloquence of words or strict adherence to the formation. Prayer is rooted in love, so when we feel discouraged by prayer, the work we do before we return to the beginning of our faith: our love for Jesus.
Because without love, prayer is dry and unvigorating, covered in the façade of “appropriateness” that we place. Without love, prayer is rooted in the fear that we will not be accepted, heard or reacted if we do not pray “right.” But this goes against the witnesses of the Bible. Jesus accepts us as we do, as we do. This guarantee does not apply only during blessings and thanksgiving, but also applies to places where our prayers make us voice what we would otherwise hide. Love gives us the boldness necessary to approach our Lord in prayer.
Of course, we are not talking about thin sentimentality. Praying with love does not mean hiding feelings or denying disappointment. In Christ, God entered into the fulfillment of mankind. This means that the fulfillment of our humanity is offered in prayer. The love of God poured into us allows us to expose the meaningless, ugly parts of our spiritual life. In love, we can be sure we will reach out to those who accept us. Like Job and Jeremiah, we can cry and cry. Like Mary and Martha, we can ask questions.
This is similar to every relationship in our lives. The love of a friend, family, or spouse invites us to clarify our struggles and wounds. Love unlocks lament. Love forgives anger and frustration. Love does not hide or hide unpleasant things.
Praying with love means that we do not pray with obligation. Rather, we pray with sincere desire to be Jesus. Prayer opens us up and is full of Christ’s love. Praying in love is not a word or form. It’s a cry of the heart. Thomas Merton once wrote that one must believe that the desire to please God actually makes him happy. The same principle applies to our prayers. Especially when we’re fighting them. In prayer, we boldly believe that God is pleased with the desire to pray, whether we can gather words or not. It may be the deepest form of prayer we have ever prayed.
If all your prayers seem to be exhausted, trust that the prayer of love is a prayer that invites Christ to explore you. With bold and radical trust, embrace the fulfillment, good, bad, raw, ugh, and pain of your life before the Lord. Provide Jesus with a tapestry of your experience. Promise that you will be accepted and accepted, as you love. And in return, provide your love to Christ.
Let’s pray:
Jesus, I love you. I love you bring me like me. With my mistakes and failures, with my imperfect faith and stumbling, you are with me. Your grace envelops me. Your hand caught in your nails reaches for me. There is no word to explain how grateful I am for your forgiveness and for your grace. And Lord, when I sit here, I will simply hold a moment of silence so that my heart can fall in love with you. Inwardly, I feel my love for you and offer it to you.
(silence)
Lord, I believe that the desire to pray is pleased to you. And sometimes I lack words to say, but I know you will receive my heart – burning with gratitude and worship. You accept my questions. You listen to my cry. Help me when you struggle with prayer to recognize that what you want from me is not perfect, but honest. Not refinement, but true. Not eloquence, but love.
So, as I do today, I will put myself before you so that I can accept you to you. This prays in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, Jesus Christ, whom I worship, obey and love. Amen.
Photo credit: ©SWN
Pastor Kyle Norman is the president of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Kamloops, Canada. He holds a PhD in Spiritual Formation and is a popular author, speaker and retreat leader. His writings can be found at Christianity.com, Crosswalk.com, Ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada and more. He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca. He has 20 years of idyllic experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual disappointment.
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