Prayer...it's not always easy

Praying is not always easy for me. I’m very easily distracted. Sometimes it’s hard to focus, my mind wanders, and I’m tired...sometimes I wonder if my prayers are being heard. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the amount of things/people/circumstances I want to pray for that I literally cannot make a coherent sentence to the Lord.

I’m thankful that the Lord hears our thoughts before we even utter a Word to him (Isaiah 65:2), but I can’t use that as an excuse to fall back on when I don’t have the discipline to focus and just pray. Imagine if our spouse or kids could read our minds and we could read theirs. What kind of relationship would it be without words? No intimacy, no community...no relationship.

John 17 is a passage of one of Jesus’ prayers to the Father. First of all, how amazing that God saw fit to include us in such an intimate moment between him and Christ. Oh if I could have heard all of Christ’s prayers...

In this praying, Jesus didn’t spend his prayer begging God for the comforts of this world, He didn’t orate a wordy mess of jumbled words that didn’t actually mean anything, he didn’t recite a pre-written prayer that has lost any and all meaning through the years, he didn’t pray a blanket prayer over every aspect of his life without personalizing it, and he didn’t have to pray for hours on end.

There’s nothing wrong with praying a pre-written prayer (like the “Our Father”) if you’re actually praying it with meaning in each and every word. But simply reciting words is no more effective than reading God a passage from your favorite book. And there’s nothing wrong with a lengthy, eloquent prayer...if you’re motives are pure. At times we can pray for hours and God will hear every word; but if you whip out your best vocabulary and all your skills from Public Speaking 101 only when you’re praying in front of people-where does your heart truly lie?

In John 17 Christ prays simply and meaningfully for himself, for his disciples (the church), and for those who did not yet believe. Now, I’m a woman who needs structure. It helps me become more organized and less easily destracted. I’d like to invite you to start praying for specific things each day of the week with me.

I thought we could start this week by praying for the following each day:

Friday: ourselves

Saturday: our family

Sunday: our church

Monday: those in our lives who do not yet know God

Tuesday: our nation

Wednesday: those in other countries who are oppressed in some way

Thursday: missionaries around the world

A few more things, I don’t intend for this to be a replacement for regular and daily prayer and communication with God, simply a way to organize and be united as believers by praying together for specific things.

I would also add that we need to be cautious not to simply ask God for the things we think that we or this world or unbelievers need, but to pray His will for all of the above. In addition, we should be mindful to never neglect thankfulness and praise for all we’ve been given.

 If prayer is a struggle for you, or you don’t pray at all right now, let this be a first step towards open communication between you and God. The more we pray, the more comfortable we become.

Lastly, I’d love to hear about your prayers in the comments section. Feel free to share what you’re praying for specifically, and feel free to pray for others who comment as we journey together.

Today, I will be asking God for direction in my life. I will be praying for strength and disciple to be the woman He created me to be. I will be praying for mercy and grace to be ever present in my life. I will be praying for forgiveness and for peace that passes all understanding. I will be praying for joy that abounds.

In Him,

Jill