Prayer Is a Journey

I hope it’s overwhelmingly clear that you are not alone in your struggles to pray. You’re not alone in your doubt. You’re not alone in your desire to “get it right.” You’re not alone in your utter insecurity. You’re not the person who dozed off in class when all the prayer warriors learned how to pray.

Whoever told you that prayer should be easy (cough, the devil) lied. It was an attempt to make you feel like a failure so you’d give up before you could get a taste of what awaited you in a thriving prayer life. Prayer isn’t easy, but here’s the good news: The things that are holding us back—the things that so easily entangle us—we can take them off. Say it with me: We can take them off.

Fear is not an appendage. Misguided belief is not an appendage. Our phones are not an appendage. We can change our prayer lives. We’ll have to dig in and not be scared of messing it up, but I promise it’s worth it! R. A. Torrey said it better than I could: “Time spent in prayer is not wasted but time invested at big interest.”

When you run this race of a prayerful life, some days may feel like a waste. Some days you’ll stumble and fall and wonder what the point is. But when you hop back up, fix your eyes on Jesus. Be reminded that he doesn’t ask us to do frivolous things. Prayer is not busy work to get us through life on earth. We’re making investments in eternity. We’re deepening our relationship with the Lord. We’re becoming a part of his kingdom work. We’re learning what it means to live in his presence and respond with obedience. We’re growing in faith and hope and becoming more like Jesus. We’re entering into conversation with the God of the universe.

What kind of commitment will you make about prayer going forward?

Pray: Father, would you carry me on this journey? When doubts, distractions, and the everyday give me excuses to stall out, may it be an immediate reminder to keep praying and to push through the obstacles. Your Word is so clear. You are calling me to keep praying and not give up. In Jesus’ name, amen.

We hope this plan encouraged you. This plan is adapted from Valerie Woerner's book, Pray Confidently & Consistently. To learn more, please visit https://bit.ly/3jLaJgv.