Pastor help!! I don't Feel Like Praying

Have you found yourself having more difficulty praying during the bad times than in the good times? 

Prayer always seems easy when we're blessed, when things are going our way, and when we are in the centre of God's will. But when times of trials come, and we feel like God isn't there to listen to us, prayer becomes a challenge.

What do we do when we don't feel like praying? Should we force ourselves to pray or should we just stop trying?

What to do when you don't feel like Praying.

• Don't Stop praying
• Share your honest thoughts and feeling with God
• Pray for Strength Use Prayers from others as a guideline
• Iron sharpens iron
• Become active in a corporate Prayer group

1. Don't stop praying, God is still there!

God is right with you in this state. He doesn't leave His children in down moments of their lives. So learn to turn your thoughts off your issue and onto Jesus, the One who can deal with your issue.

You may choose to play worship music to calm your mind to focus. Focusing on Jesus is a good antidote to situations that keep us from wanting to pray, or knowing what to say in prayer.

2. Share your honest thoughts and feelings with God

It’s tempting to believe that in order to successfully pray, you must adhere to some stringent, pre-defined set of rules that is acceptable to God. Nothing could be further from the truth. God wants the real you; not a version molded by artificial social forces.

Instead of feeling pressured to talk too formally to God, simply be transparent about what’s on your mind, or in your heart. Tell Him you need His Spirit's help to pray and ask for Strength. Do it in your own words.

3. Pray for strength

Praying is an act of vulnerability. You’re sharing your thoughts with the almighty God who can see your innermost desires, fears, hopes, and insecurities. 

Why is praying for strength important? One, it’s an act of humility that acknowledges the real need for daily strength. Two, it’s an exercise of faith, demonstrating to God you believe He alone can meet your needs. Asking God for strength gives Him the opportunity to be center focus, instead of anything else that’s distracting or weighing you down.

Rom.8.26 - And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Draw strength from God's Word by meditating on it and including it in your prayers.

4. Use Prayers from others as guideposts

Many times, you may find prayers from iconic Christians in history, or prayers from people alive today, that you identify with personally. Hearing an inspiring prayer that provides an example for your own prayers is fantastic.

If you have a favorite pastor or preacher, you can see if they have prayer tapes or examples online. If you hear a live prayer that you love, a worship or prayer mixtape you like, download it and use to pray. 

5. Iron sharpens iron.

Prov.27.17 - As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.

Talk with a spiritual friend or leader about this. They could help with joining you in prayers or monitoring you to ensure you keep on praying even when you don't feel like praying. Also, they can be helpful with other tips on praying effectively when you're down. 

6. Become active in a Corporate Prayer group.

One of the benefits of gathering and fellowshipping with the brethren is that strength is generated together. When you're feeling down and feeling like not praying, you should become more active in a prayer group either online or physically and join their praying meetings. This will help re-ignite the fire of prayer on your altar.