A Passion for Prayer - When It's Difficult To Pray

Wayne Grudem defines prayer as “personal communication with God.” God is our Creator, we are His creation, and He has made this personal way for us to communicate with Him. But, let’s be honest. At times, it is hard for us to pray, and the reasons are numerous! Here, I will radically narrow our focus to two reasons that we find it difficult to pray: when we have no time to pray, and when we can not pray.

 When We Have No Time To Pray

This one is an easy target. It’s difficult to pray because life is crazy busy at times. We jolt awake in the morning and hit the ground running. Day after day after day, the alarm, the snooze, the alarm, this thing, that thing, and another thing - repeat - day in and day out. We don’t pray because there is no time to pray… or at least, we think there is no time to pray. 

So, how do we find the time to pray? Charles Spurgeon answers this. “If we have no time we must make time, for if God has given us time for secondary duties, He must have given us time for primary ones, and to draw near to Him is a primary duty, and we must not let nothing set it on one side.” That is the reason! I have set prayer off to the side for something else and making time for it requires that I shift it back into its primary place. 

When We CanNot Pray

Now, this one is more common than you may think. Yet, knowing how important it is, there will be times when we find that we do not feel like praying. Grief, discouragement, or spiritual dryness are winning the day, and we find ourselves unwilling to talk with God. Again, Spurgeon speaks to this: “I believe that when we cannot pray, it is time that we prayed more than ever. Pray for prayer. Pray for the spirit of supplication. Do not be content to say, ‘I would pray if I could.’ No, but if you cannot pray, pray till you can pray.” In Psalm 42:5-6 we find this at work: 

“Why are you cast down, O my soul…?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.”

Soul, hope in God that you will praise (pray to) Him! 

A few years ago, in a moment of deep desperation, a loved one looked at me through tear-stained eyes, and said, “This is too hard.” That day was too hard for us, and though at that moment we could not pray, the Spirit did… and then later we could.  

There is a precious promise in Romans 8:26: 

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For we do not know what to pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us…”

Soul, God is praying until you can pray.

“My soul thirsts for God!”
Psalm 42:2

- Tom