Prayer is fundamental to the Christian life. It serves many functions: It is our communication pathway to God, an outlet for our petitions, and space for our thanksgiving. Ultimately, it builds and nourishes our relationship with God. I recognize that most of what was just shared is not new information. The question I ask myself is while we know the functions and benefits of prayer, how do we live prayerfully in times when it is hard to pray? I ask this question because I have found myself in difficult seasons of life where I found it hard and exhausting to pray. This could be for various reasons. For example, I have been praying, and I do not see a change; I’ve become weary; the wait becomes too hard; I become frustrated in my circumstance.
In these times I have used scriptures such as Colossians 4:2 to remind myself to live prayerfully. This means that prayer is a constant in my life, regardless of what is happening around me. It also means that I pray with scripture in mind and with intention to draw close to God, rather than praying when I need something immediately or out of routine. I have learned that when I am constant in my prayer life, I am filled with hope (even in times where I see no change in circumstances that I pray would change). And when it is hard to pray, my prayer focuses on thanksgiving and God’s mercy.
If you are in a season where you find it hard to pray and hard to wait, consider starting your prayer with thanksgiving; and praying for wisdom to know how best to use the wait. Stay hopeful and pray for daily strength to move through each day.