Prayer trips a lot of people up. If you are honest, it probably trips you up too. You set out with the best intentions, you sit down to pray, and within a few minutes your mind is somewhere else entirely. Maybe you even fall asleep. It happens to all of us, and it is worth asking why.
Part of the problem is stillness itself. Being still for even five seconds can feel impossible when your mind is already racing toward everything else on your plate. People say, “I just can’t get my mind focused.” The honest answer is that all those other things feel important to you, because they are important to you, so why not bring them to God? Instead of just thinking about everything weighing on you, start talking to Him about it. Say, “God, here it is. This is on my mind, and I am going to talk to You about it. I am not just going to think about it. I am going to bring it to You.” That shift, from thinking to talking, is where prayer actually begins.
Prayer Requires Faith, and Faith Is Hard to See
Reading the Bible and showing up to Sunday worship are disciplines you can track pretty easily. You either opened the book or you did not. You either walked through the doors or you did not. Prayer is different. Prayer requires faith, and faith is hard to see.
A lot of people quietly stop praying because they think, “I don’t see how God is working this out, so why bother?” If you cannot see what God is doing, why talk to Him about it? Because it is called faith. Sometimes you need faith just to pray in the first place. You have to trust that God is working even before you say a word to Him, because He already knows what you are facing.
Here is the thing. He already knows, and He wants you to know that He knows. Prayer is coming to God and saying, “God, I know You already know this, but I am going to talk to You about it anyway, because I need to know that You know. Help me trust You. Help me have faith that You are working, even though I cannot see it yet.” Prayer requires a kind of faith that a lot of people are not ready to exhibit. When we are not willing to take that step, we tell ourselves, “I will just work this out myself.” And anytime you try to work things out on your own, you are probably going to make the problem bigger, not smaller.
Praying to Get Through It, Not Just Out of It
If you are going through something hard right now, it is right to pray that God would get you out of it. But the prayer that matters most is not just “God, get me out of this.” It is “God, change me through this.”
So often our prayers stop at “God, get me out of this. God, change this circumstance.” And God’s response is sometimes, “No, I want to change you through it. I want to purify you through this. I want you to see My faithfulness to you in the middle of it.”
Think about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. When King Nebuchadnezzar threatened them, they said, “Oh king, we do not need to answer you in this matter, but our God is able to deliver us, and He will certainly deliver us out of your hand.” Notice they did not pray to avoid the furnace. They prayed to be aware of God’s presence in it. And when they were thrown in, Nebuchadnezzar looked and asked, “Didn’t we just throw three people in there? Why is it I see a fourth in the midst with them?”
That is the picture. We are often in the middle of hardships and trials, and we cannot see God in them. Part of the reason we cannot see Him is because we are not going to Him in prayer. When you go to Him in prayer, even in the furnace, you will realize He is with you in the midst of it.
What This Looks Like This Week
If prayer has felt difficult or distant, start small and start honest. Take one thing that is weighing on you right now, something you have only been thinking about, and put it into words to God. Not a polished prayer, just a conversation. “God, here it is. This is on my mind, and I am bringing it to You.”
If you are walking through something hard, change the shape of your prayer. Instead of only asking God to get you out, ask Him to change you through it. Ask Him to make His presence known to you in the middle of it, the way He was present with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace. That is a prayer of faith, and it is the kind of prayer that opens our eyes to see God where we could not see Him before.
If you are looking for a community to grow in prayer and faith alongside, we would love to have you join us. New Vision Church gathers for Sunday worship at 9:45 AM at 479 Inman Road, Fayetteville, GA. We also host special events throughout the year at 193 Johnson Avenue. Come as you are, and let’s grow in faith together.