When we don’t feel like praying

One of the number one reasons we don’t pray consistently is because we simply don’t feel like it.

I didn’t say it! You said it!

Ok, we’ve all at one point said it.

As earth-shaking as prayer can be, we being humans and not perfect creatures, have moments where we forget prayer’s power and assume it’s boring or a waste of time. We might even decide we WILL pray as soon as a spark hits or we “feel” something again.

And the thing is, we’re all just left here waiting for something that won’t just be dumped on our doorstep. There is no magic in prayer. There is a mundane beauty that will blow our minds if we get to experience it, but it’s not as flashy as we’d expect. So instead of waiting out that feeling of not wanting to pray, we can pursue prayer at all angles.

Here’s how:

1. Read prayer autobiographies or encouraging books on prayer.
When I read about the life of someone who just experienced the coolest God story because they didn’t give up praying, it excites me to keep praying.

2. Ask people for their prayer testimonies.
Ask “Why do you pray? What has God done as a result of your praying?” People who have seen God work a miracle in their lives love telling about it. So start asking every believer you know to hear their God story.

3. Pray for a passion.
This seems almost too obvious but when was the last time you prayed for a passion for prayer. We’ve got a prayer for passion in our book, Springboard Prayers.

4. Take a social media break.
This is pretty much the answer for everything, right? But seriously, if we are too tantalized by the world to pray, we may need to break the spell and end the zombie-like state we can get into when we’re hooked onto any screen.

5. Peel back the excess.
The activities. The shopping. The appointments. When our everyday life starts to crowd out our desire for eternal things, we know we’ve got too much.

6. Remember the benefits of prayer.
Every business or life coach on the planet will tell you you have to know your WHY. Why are you praying? What is the purpose? Without a solid answer, is it any wonder we’ll not feel like it? See some benefits here.

7. Don’t stop praying.
Whatever you do, don’t stop! The enemy loves getting a little foothold in our lives. Just something small enough to let us drift into a place of complacency. Preferably without our even knowing. E.M. Bounds said, “Satan had rather we let the grass grow on the path to our prayer chamber than anything else.” Could you find the path back to your prayer chamber or is it overgrown and hidden?

Here’s the good news, friends. We don’t have to wait on some magical feeling to pray. I know that might not sound the best but we don’t have to sit idly by waiting for something to change. We have the power to jump in and start praying. And from my experience, the more I pray, the deeper my desire for the Lord gets.

So here’s a simple action step:

Set a timer for 3 minutes. Ask God to meet you. Ask Him to give you a passion for Him. Confess all the ways you’ve been distracted from Him. Commit to creating a well-worn path to your “prayer chamber”. And get expectant for what’s to come.