Lord, help me to pray.
Is it strange to ask for help on something you’re already doing at the time? Like, if you’re already riding a bike, is it okay to ask for help learning to ride a bike?
The other day I made a list of goals for my writing. I truly feel this is something God wants me to pursue. If, in fact, He does, then I need to give it my all. Hence, the goals to make sure I stay on track and can measure how I’m doing. One of the goals I set for myself was to pray about my writing every day. It should be my easiest goal to accomplish. I mean, it has to be easier to pray than to sell a book proposal – right? Yet, for some reason it has manifested itself as the most difficult goal to keep. Why is that?
I long to be a prayer warrior. Some people seem naturally perfect pray-ers. They have no trouble spending hours praying for any and every thing that comes to mind. Me? I have trouble praying for a solid two minutes. Oh, God is always on my mind. I think of Him and His purposes for me all the time. But to truly sit and pray … to meditate on His Word and humbly bring my requests before Him … this is one of the hardest skills for me to learn.
It wasn’t always this way. In college I would spend hours pouring my heart out to God. I walked with Him. That may seem an arrogant statement. Who walks with God? Well, Abraham walked with God. Noah walked with God. David walked with God. I certainly do not claim to be in the ranks of such righteous men. At the same time, I can think of no other way to describe my relationship with Him at that time. It was awesome! Every thought that came to me was instantly spoken as a prayer to my Creator. We had a constant dialog – as I walked to classes, when I ate, while I worked, even when chatting with friends. There was a constant awareness of His presence with me; beside me. What happened?
Have you experienced a change in your walk with God? Perhaps like me, you were close at one time, but now are little more than distracted. How do we fix this? Of course, we know the answers: we spend more time studying His Word and we spend more time praying. I am trying, but isn't working. Even when I dedicate time to pray, my mind is constantly wandering. Lists are being formed, dialogs rehearsed, impressions predicted … none of this should be invading my prayer time! Yet it does. It is beyond frustrating. God, help me to pray! I seem to have forgotten how …
I feel so inadequate as a child of God. Sometimes I view my life and see only a shadow of what I was to become. God, please help me to be what you created me to be. Help me to pray.
The other day I made a list of goals for my writing. I truly feel this is something God wants me to pursue. If, in fact, He does, then I need to give it my all. Hence, the goals to make sure I stay on track and can measure how I’m doing. One of the goals I set for myself was to pray about my writing every day. It should be my easiest goal to accomplish. I mean, it has to be easier to pray than to sell a book proposal – right? Yet, for some reason it has manifested itself as the most difficult goal to keep. Why is that?
I long to be a prayer warrior. Some people seem naturally perfect pray-ers. They have no trouble spending hours praying for any and every thing that comes to mind. Me? I have trouble praying for a solid two minutes. Oh, God is always on my mind. I think of Him and His purposes for me all the time. But to truly sit and pray … to meditate on His Word and humbly bring my requests before Him … this is one of the hardest skills for me to learn.
It wasn’t always this way. In college I would spend hours pouring my heart out to God. I walked with Him. That may seem an arrogant statement. Who walks with God? Well, Abraham walked with God. Noah walked with God. David walked with God. I certainly do not claim to be in the ranks of such righteous men. At the same time, I can think of no other way to describe my relationship with Him at that time. It was awesome! Every thought that came to me was instantly spoken as a prayer to my Creator. We had a constant dialog – as I walked to classes, when I ate, while I worked, even when chatting with friends. There was a constant awareness of His presence with me; beside me. What happened?
Have you experienced a change in your walk with God? Perhaps like me, you were close at one time, but now are little more than distracted. How do we fix this? Of course, we know the answers: we spend more time studying His Word and we spend more time praying. I am trying, but isn't working. Even when I dedicate time to pray, my mind is constantly wandering. Lists are being formed, dialogs rehearsed, impressions predicted … none of this should be invading my prayer time! Yet it does. It is beyond frustrating. God, help me to pray! I seem to have forgotten how …
I feel so inadequate as a child of God. Sometimes I view my life and see only a shadow of what I was to become. God, please help me to be what you created me to be. Help me to pray.
Labels: prayer
3 Comments:
Oh Tanya! I am this way too! I need someone to teach a class on 'how to pray' or something!
I think part of it is the way the female mind is so designed to think about many, many things at once. We get used to that and then it is SO hard to focus on just one thing (like prayer) at a time.
Hi, Tanya: I found you through CW. My kids have been out of diapers and baby tubs for a very long time, and I once felt the way you did about prayer. Nowadays, though, I am thankful that my youngest, a sophomore in high school, tells me where she's going--and, that I don't have to follow any kind of "prayer wheel" to be a prayer warrior. You don't have to sit. You don't have to try. The prayers just come all the time. "Pray without ceasing" is real. I couldn't have imagined this when I was young and desirous to please God. Now that I am middle-aged and desirous to please God, praying is exactly like breathing. Every thought, every desire of my heart for others, is a prayer. I love mundane tasks now; my mind is free to perform all the intercession the Spirit might desire!
Have you ever read "Stepping Heavenward"? Whenever I re-read that little book, I get convicted that I don't pray enough. Great book... :)
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