By: Paul Barnett
Then and Now
If you are like me, then you love to pray. You have had times where you have enjoyed the Father’s presence or heard Him clearly, times where He has answered prayers (in a desirable way), and times where you have pressed through though you felt or heard nothing. Praying is not typically your struggle—you love talking with your Father, even during the times when you felt like you were in a “dry place” or hearing nothing you prayed.
So why is it that now, at this time, you, like me, can’t seem to pray? You set aside a time and you want to, or at least you want to want to. You assume your “prayer position,” Bible out, ready to begin but nothing comes out. You can’t seem to press through this time. You don’t have un-repented sin and it isn’t that you don’t know the importance of prayer or even that you don’t want to pray – you just can’t.
Get Real
At times like this I have found that I’m probably not being real with myself or with God.
God doesn’t want our pleasantries or proprieties. These are not needed to show Him the reverence He deserves. In fact, at times, these may get in the way of our affection for Him.
Contrary to popular opinion, this is actually a good place to be, provided we respond in the right way. It is from this place that you are positioned best to go to a new and deeper place in your prayer life.
The reality is that I can’t pray because, in part, I don’t believe what I am saying. Not that I don’t agree with it theologically, but that it isn’t what is in my heart. When I begin to say what I “should say” or what I typically say in my prayers, my words betray my heart. My heart and mind are in two different places. I am distracted, preoccupied, and far too aware of what I am feeling.
If you are in this place then you can most definitely pray, just not the way you may be accustomed to. I have found it helpful to firstaddress Him. This is the first step to getting your “prayer mojo” back. Tell Him and yourself who He is: Good, LORD, Father, Faithful, Love, Truth, The Way, Friend, Savior, Healer… Remind yourself of who you are talking to, to see Him as preeminent to your situation or your feelings (or lack thereof). Next, confess. Be honest. Tell Him exactly how or what you feel, even if what you feel is in direct opposition to how you just addressed God. When you are in this place, you need to be real and honest about what you are feeling—don’t keep up pretenses! Lastly, profess. You have declared who He is, shared exactly what you feel, and so now, proclaim the truth – choose to believe what God says about your feelings and your situation. Declare that even though you feel this way, you are choosing to believe the truth of Scripture and the promise He made by His Spirit.
Learn Your Lessons
Getting real is closely associated with learning your lessons. Sometimes difficulty in prayer is because our Father wants a good thing for us that we aren’t receiving. Matthew 7:9-11 says: “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” I have had a tough time praying before because I was praying for the wrong thing(s) and wasn’t aware of how or where God was working in my life and so I became exhausted. In fact, I have been in a place like this for a couple of weeks now, and it all came to a “breaking point” just last week.
We all know that God is our Provider. We believe this. It’s easy to believe this while things are well in our lives – we aren’t worrying about money or we feel content in enjoying the blessings of our Provider. However, when times are tight, we (or at least I) may still confess Him as Provider, but I don’t enjoy this position. In fact, I would rather be able to make enough to provide for myself, enjoy comfort, and casually give a token acknowledgement that my ability to work comes from Him.
In my times of struggling with prayer and Scripture reading lately, I have come to realize that I haven’t been receiving the good thing that my Father in Heaven has been trying to give me. God has provided for us in amazing ways, and even though I know that, we have been far from my idea of comfortable. In this, whether from frustration over not getting what I think I need or want, or from lack of trust, I have come, once again, to this place of not being able to pray. I thought I knew what I needed, trying in vain to obtain it. All the while, God was trying to give me what I truly needed – more of Himself (the Holy Spirit). God wants me to not only know that He IS Provider, but to know Him ASProvider. He wants me to find joy and comfort in Him as Provider, and not only in the provisions He gives. I have not enjoyed my time in this place nor have I enjoyed Him in this place. We must learn that long before God will move miraculously to get me to a more comfortable place, He will move miraculously in me so that I know Him more and become more like Him. The point of this life is not comfort – it’s to know Him and be made like Him.
God, help us to get real and receive the good You are working in us. Help us to grow in our prayer life and come to the place where we, once again, can pray and enjoy You. Amen.
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