Prayer.
It can feel difficult to pray sometimes, but I think that it’s in those moments that it may be the most important to push past that wall preventing you from talking to the Lord.
It can also feel difficult for many different reasons. Sometimes it’s out of exhaustion. Other times it may be out of anger or resentment. Maybe it’s because someone that hurt you, and you really don’t feel like praying for them. Maybe you feel worried and anxious about something, and it feels safer to just sit in your worry than to surrender it to God. Or maybe, you feel like the thing you’re hoping for is too big and too unrealistic to ask for. Whatever your personal reason may be, getting into prayer about certain parts of your life can be really, really hard.
Something that has helped me significantly is keeping a journal and writing down the things that I know I won’t really feel like praying about later on. This kind of helps keep me accountable, in a way. Prayer is crucial to building our relationship with God, and it doesn’t have to feel intimidating. You don’t need to use big fancy words for Him to hear you, He just wants your heart. He wants you to talk to Him and cast all of your cares upon Him. You can speak to Him just like He is your friend: tell Him about your day, what you’re thankful for, and what you’re worried about.
The cool thing about prayer is that you can do it at any time. On your drive to work, your walk home from school, in the shower, or while making dinner. There is no limit to when or where or for how long you can talk to God. I find it helpful, however, if you’re struggling to get into prayer, to make a designated time for it each day. For me, I enjoy praying and diving into my Bible first thing in the morning. This sets my day up for success and makes me even more likely to continue to pray throughout the day. The more I have been praying lately, the more peace I have felt even about situations that normally really frustrate me or give me anxiety, because I know that I can surrender everything to Him.
So in short: pray. Pray about everything, and pray without ceasing. Tell God everything that is on your heart. Have a relationship with Him. Find peace through surrender.
Here’s some of my favorite Bible verses that mention prayer:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” James 5:13
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6-7
