Our Difficulty with Prayer

Prayer, an activity which seems so simple in theory, is often anything but simple. In fact, it remains a constant difficulty for most of us. If we’re honest, the difficulty arises because prayer feels like a waste of time. We live in a society in which inactivity and inefficiency are deadly sins. And since prayer feels inefficient for many of us, we begin to question its value. When we fail to see visible and tangible results to our prayers, we can grow discouraged and lose heart. Consequently, we begin praying less and less, until eventually we find ourselves not praying at all.

If you find yourself struggling in this area (and who among us doesn't?), I would strongly recommend Paul Miller's A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. Another book I would recommend is D.A. Carson's A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers. I have found them both to be very helpful and practical resources.

Prayer and the Gospel

This brief paragraph by Paul Miller is powerful:

Prayer mirrors the gospel. In the gospel, the Father takes us as we are because of Jesus and gives us his gift of salvation. In prayer, the Father receives us as we are because of Jesus and gives us his gift of help. We look at the inadequacy of our praying and give up, thinking something is wrong with us. God looks at the adequacy of his Son and delights in our sloppy, meandering prayers.

--Paul Miller, A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World