Charles Spurgeon once said that; "as Christians, we should become "addicted to prayer".
We know how important it is to pray. We also are excellent at finding excuses why we don't have the time. Primarily, our lives are structured around the things we consider important. When God is important enough to us, the end result will be prayer. The decision to pray is a battle. Once that decision has been made, most of the battle is over.
Prayer is not a privilege for the pious, not the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child.
Common excuses to put off prayer:
* I'm too tired
Being tired is really common. You can still spend time in prayer despite your weariness. If you allow weariness to keep you from prayer, you will always be kept from prayer because fatigue is part of this fast-paced life.
* I'm too busy
You need to develop an attitude about time that is similar to the one you have about money. The more time you give God, the more time you have from God. Following the principle of sowing and reaping, God will give back what you give to Him, then He increases it. Most people are busy, but not too busy to pray.
* I'm too dry
You might not feel like praying. If you waited until you felt like praying you would pray very little. Jesus told his disciples that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). Should is an act of the will. Simply make yourself do it. It's a spiritual discipline. Indeed, you should pray every time you feel led to pray, but for the most part, you lead yourself to prayer.
* I'm too lazy
This is not something you'd like to admit. Prayer itself is not difficult. You will never run out of things to pray for. The biggest obstacle is making the decision to pray. Once you are in the place of prayer, it's not that difficult to pray. The struggle is getting yourself in that position. Getting up out of the easy chair or out of that warm bed in the morning, turning off the TV or smart-phone, and putting yourself in a position to pray is where most of the battle lies.
*I Am Too Bitter To Pray
We cannot live long in this world without coming across injustice, a chronic lack of fairness. Many of us accept such sin with reasonable equanimity, reasoning that it is, after all, a fallen world. But when the injustice or unfairness is directed against us, our reaction may be much less philosophical. Then we may nurture a spirit of revenge, or at least of bitterness, malice, and gossip. Such sins in turn assure that our prayers are never more than formulaic; eventually, such sin may lead to chronic prayerlessness. “How can I be expected to pray when I have suffered so much?” “Don’t talk to me about praying for my enemies: I know who has kept me from being promoted.”
Life itself is consumed by the petty assessment of how well you are perceived by those around you. In this morass of self-pity and resentment, real prayer is squeezed out. In other words, many of us do not want to pray because we know that disciplined, biblical prayer would force us to eliminate sin that we rather cherish. It is very hard to pray with compassion and zeal for someone we much prefer to resent.
*I Am Too Ashamed To Pray
Shame encourages us to hide from the presence of God; shame squirrels behind masked foliage of pleasantries while refusing to be honest; shame foster flight and escapism; shame engenders prayerlessness.
We cannot successfully hide from God anyway, “for a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths” (Prov. 5:21). “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). But if it is futile to run from God, our sense of shame can scarcely be an adequate ground to excuse our prayerlessness. Rather, it ought to be a goad that drives us back to the only one who can forgive us and grant us utter absolution, back to the freedom of conscience and the boldness in prayer that follow in the wake of the joyful knowledge that we have been accepted by a holy God because of his grace.
*I Am Content With Mediocrity
Some Christians want enough of Christ to be identified with him but not enough to be seriously inconvenienced; they genuinely cling to basic Christian orthodoxy but do not want to engage in serious Bible study; they value moral probity, especially of the public sort, but do not engage in war against inner corruptions; they fret over the quality of the preachers' sermon but do not worry much over the quality of their own prayer life. Such Christians are content with mediocrity.
*I Feel No Need To Pray
This excuse is a trifle trickier than the first two. Few of us are so crass that we self-consciously reason, “I am too important to pray. I am too self-confident to pray. I am too independent to pray.” Instead, what happens is this: Although abstractly I may affirm the importance of prayer, in reality, I may treat prayer as important only in the lives of other people, especially those whom I judge to be weaker in character, needier, less competent, less productive. Thus, while affirming the importance of prayer, I may not feel a deep need for prayer in my own life. I may be getting along so well without much praying that my self-confidence is constantly being reinforced. That breeds yet another round of prayerlessness.
What is God’s response?
If Christians who shelter beneath such self-assurance do not learn better ways by listening to the Scriptures, God may address them in the terrible language of tragedy. We serve a God who delights to disclose himself to the contrite, to the lowly of heart, to the meek. When God finds us so puffed up that we do not feel our need for him, it is an act of kindness on his part to take us down a peg or two; it would be an act of judgment to leave us in our vaulting self-esteem.
Suggestions to help you pray:
- Give God the best time of the day - Choose the time of day when you can be the most effective. David would often pray at night (Ps. 63:6); Abraham got up early to pray (Gen. 19:27); religious Jews liked to pray at 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM; Daniel prayed at three different times each day: morning, noon, and night (Dan. 6:10).
- Pray audibly - Praying out loud helps you stay focused.
- Stay Committed - If you've ever fallen asleep in prayer - simply pray when you wake up.
- Try changing your prayer routine - Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. —Psalm 62:8 While developing a regular prayer routine produces discipline and works well for many of us, for some, it can make prayer feel like a chore. If you feel 'stuck' and far from God, have a look at your current prayer routine, and think of something you could try switching up. You could try going on a 'prayer walk', listening to worship music, or simply sitting down and having an unstructured conversation with God—you never know what you might hear!
- Pray with other people - "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." —Matthew 18:20. Praying alone is important, but praying with and for other people can be powerful. Whether it's simply praying with your family, with your small group, or with your church, Jesus says that He will be right there with you.
Suggested devotionals /books / Apps on prayer:
- The power of a simple prayer by Max Lucado
- Prayer changes me by Andrea Rodriguez
- How to pray by Pete Grieg
- Abide prayer app
- Lectio 365
- Bible App
- Why keep praying: when you don't see results by Robert Morris
- Handle with prayer: Unwrap the Source of God's Strength for Living By Dr Charles Stanley
Suggested Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are our example of having a regular prayer life. You often went away to pray. Your life was one dedicated to prayer. May we too learn from your example and have a regular prayer life. Your word says to seek first the kingdom of God, so we come before you in prayer, seeking your Lord God almighty. Help us to pray, give us a deep desire to want to have fellowship with you. Lord, create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. Forgive us for not praying as often as we should. We thank you, Lord, that you are loving and merciful and you hear every prayer we utter. We thank you for the privilege of prayer. May your perfect and pleasing will be done in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Excerpt from A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers by D.A. Carson
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