When Praying Is Hard To Do

Tiber Judy ^ | 10-10-2013 | Tiber Judy

[mlizzy]

The longer I write the more I realize how much writing is like prayer. Writing is something that connects me with God and allows me to hear His voice. Like prayer, writing is a habit that has to be developed over time and like prayer sometimes it doesn’t come easily. Both actions are disciplines of the spirit and both can help us to grow in holiness. Being holy means being the person God intends you to be. Writing helps me to use a gift He gave me and to use it to glorify Him. Like prayer, writing requires preparation and work. Of course we’re not all called to be writers. Some are given much greater gifts. But all Christians are called to pray. In fact I’d go so far as to say that if you don’t pray you aren’t a follower of Christ. Prayer has to be at the center of our lives. Our faith is based on our relationship with Jesus and without prayer, we can’t know Him.

So if God made prayer so central to His plan for our salvation, why can it sometimes be so hard to pray? After all, if He made our hearts in such a way that we yearn to know Him, you’d think prayer would come as naturally to us as breathing. Sometimes it does. Most of us are great at praying when we find ourselves in a jam. Up against the wall. At the end of our ropes. Between a rock and a hard place. Remember the old saying about there being no atheists in foxholes. When life–ours or someone we love–is on the line, we’re filled with the need to pray. Our words and pleas and promises to Him overflow and we talk with Him nonstop. That is, until the crisis passes. When the terror of the moment is over, many of us quickly revert to our non-prayerful ways. Perhaps a few of us will experience that crisis as an invitation to a continuing relationship with God. That brush with whatever terror we experienced (death, divorce, unemployment, war, homelessness, etc.) may have opened our hearts to hear Him and allowed Him to draw us close. Most of us, however, are drawn to the Lord through the regular, everyday, even unexciting details of our daily lives. The Church, in her wisdom, has made most of our liturgical year into “ordinary” time. And while ordinary time refers to those numbered Sundays outside feast and penance, it’s a reminder to us that we can and should encounter God in the regular rhythms of our daily lives.

Consider a significant relationship in your life. Maybe it’s your spouse or a good friend or a sibling you’re especially close to. I’ll bet some of the most meaningful moments you’ve experienced with them are when you’re just enjoying an ordinary day in their presence. Deep love and intimacy are often revealed most clearly in everyday moments. Sharing a meal. Watching a sunset. Being comfortable and at ease in the silent company of a person you love and who loves you back. If that’s true in our human relationships, we can also see that in our prayer relationship with Jesus. The times we can feel most closely-engaged with Him in prayer can be in spontaneous and simple ways each day. The ordinary-ness of our daily prayers are no less valuable than those dramatic, emotionally-charges prayerful “highs” that are few and far between.

The saints tell us a lot about prayer. After all, being saints, we know that their relationship with Jesus bore great and eternal spiritual fruit. Look at St. Joseph of Cupertino. His prayer life was so extraordinary that he frequently levitated several feet off the floor during prayer. But few of us fly around the room during prayers. St. Francis of Assisi, and in our own century, Padre Pio both bore the stigmata or the wounds of Christ as they prayed. St. Isidore and St. Alphonse’s Liguori often appeared in two distant places at the same time while at prayer. But these are the exceptions.

Most saints were like most of us. Sometimes prayer came easily and made them feel close to God. But at other times prayer was a chore. Many of the saints experienced spiritual deserts where their prayer lives seemed pointless and felt as if God had left them alone. We know that Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta struggled with this. For many years she experienced a “dark night of the soul” in her prayer life. Yet no one doubts her spiritual greatness or the fruits of her vocation. This woman knew Jesus well.

We’re each unique creations. Each one of our journeys with Christ is a unique calling. Some of us may fly in ecstasy to Him but the majority of us won’t. We’ll come to know Him in the daily routines of our ordinary lives, sometimes in joyful exuberance and sometimes in peaceful silence. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t think you’re “doing it right.” Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray. And keep at it. Go to Mass and Confession. Fast. And don’t wait to start praying. The only way to get better at it is to pray.

“I pray because I’m helpless.” —C. S. Lewis

[mlizzy]

Consider a significant relationship in your life. Maybe it’s your spouse or a good friend or a sibling you’re especially close to. I’ll bet some of the most meaningful moments you’ve experienced with them are when you’re just enjoying an ordinary day in their presence. Deep love and intimacy are often revealed most clearly in everyday moments. Sharing a meal. Watching a sunset. Being comfortable and at ease in the silent company of a person you love and who loves you back. If that’s true in our human relationships, we can also see that in our prayer relationship with Jesus...

The saints tell us a lot about prayer. After all, being saints, we know that their relationship with Jesus bore great and eternal spiritual fruit. Look at St. Joseph of Cupertino. His prayer life was so extraordinary that he frequently levitated several feet off the floor during prayer...St. Francis of Assisi, and in our own century, Padre Pio both bore the stigmata or the wounds of Christ as they prayed. St. Isidore and St. Alphonse’s Liguori often appeared in two distant places at the same time while at prayer...

[mlizzy]

Tiber Judy's articles have brought great comfort and joy to those whom I've passed them along to.

Her post on suicide is one of these such writings: http://tiberjudy.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/a-suicide-in-the-family/

[Dick Bachert]

About all I can say to that is a hearty “AMEN”.

All I would add is that writing for me is also a CATHARSIS. If I weren’t regularly able to get all these feelings out, I believe I’d explode.

[onedoug]

It seems very simple to implore God’s blessings on others. What’s the big deal?

[mlizzy]

Are your writings posted (gathered) at a site?

[mlizzy]

It seems very simple to implore God’s blessings on others. What’s the big deal?

Meaningful prayer comes more easily to some than to others.

[Dick Bachert]

No, but a lot of my stuff is scattered around Free Republic.
A FR search should turn it up.
Thanks for asking, however.
Dick

[Biggirl]

Sometimes you have to do the talking to God in prayer before you can even do any listening.

[jodyel]

First you must learn HOW to listen and learn the ways in which God still communicates with believers.

Sorry to say, biggirl, I’ve never seen you get anything right. Not even for the Catholic faith.

How I wish all of you would genuinely learn to listen to the Lord and hear His voice. It is a phenomenal thing!

http://www.intouch.org/you/article-archive/content/topic/knowing_god_s_voice_article

http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/video-archives/content/topic/listening_to_god_walking_with_god_video

http://www.intouch.org/you/all-things-are-new/content/topic/how_do_i_know_if_i_am_hearing_god_all_things

[CynicalBear]

>> How I wish all of you would genuinely learn to listen to the Lord and hear His voice. It is a phenomenal thing!<<

I wholeheartedly agree. Oh that I had learned earlier to recognize His urgings and listened and acted accordingly. Many mistakes would have been avoided and a much richer life lived for sure.

[jodyel]

“Many mistakes would have been avoided and a much richer life lived for sure.”

Oh heck yeah! Woulda, shoulda, coulda!

[Biggirl]

“Sorry to say, biggirl, I’ve never seen you get anything right. Not even for the Catholic faith.”

Your opinon, not mine.

Your forgiven for what you have said.

[Biggirl]

A lot of times it is the events in your life that is when God speaks to you.

[Biggirl]

I guess I was right after all. Do the talking first.

[Biggirl]

I see some of your stuff from time to time.

[CynicalBear]

>> A lot of times it is the events in your life that is when God speaks to you.<<

Wow! Either you aren’t listening or something. I hear Him many times each day.

[Biggirl]

But it is true, it is the situations or the day-to-day happenings in which often times God does speak to us.

[jodyel]

Geez, oh pete!!

See what I mean...never, never listen and absolutely no teachable heart or spirit.

Why can you just not listen to excellent Scriptural teaching when it is given you...instead of thinking you know it all?

This is precisely what keeps a person in darkness.

I don’t need your forgiveness....I need you to open your ears and listen to God!!!

Listen, listen, listen...quit flapping your jaws long enough to learn how God communicates with His people.

[jodyel]

And what else??

Listen to the videos and read the articles and see how else He speaks to a believer.

[CynicalBear]

I guess if that’s what you think it is for you that’s what it is for you.

[Biggirl]

I talk to God, praise and thank Him for each new day. He is not forgotten.

[Biggirl]

God talks to us best when it is in the day-to-day happenings or events, or even in dreams.

[Biggirl]

This gives me a much clearer and better picture of how God speaks:

http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/8-ways-god-speaks-to-us-today.html

[jodyel]

No teachable spirit.

Don’t know why I bother.

[verga]

How I wish all of you would genuinely learn to listen to the Lord and hear His voice. It is a phenomenal thing!

If you put me on your ping list (with out my consent or request) just to make snotty comments than take me off. If you are interested in legitimate discussion then discuss.

[jodyel]

Wow, really??!!

What the heck is everyone drinking tonight??

Loosen up, peeps!!

[verga]

Take me off the list. I don’t drink and I am not putting up with your abuse.

[verga]

If you have a list I would be glad to be on it.

[mlizzy]

A lot of times it is the events in your life that is when God speaks to you.

I agree with what you have said, in that it is only through the suffering events in my life that Christ has spoken to me. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have heard little, if anything at all.

[mlizzy]

I don’t currently have a list, verga, but thank you for asking. :)

[Admin Moderator]

“Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/~religionmoderator/

[Biggirl]

Thank-you for making my early morning!

[Biggirl]

I have bookmarked Tiber Judy’s site. Very good articles.

[mlizzy]

You’re welcome! :) And good morning!

[Biggirl]

You have taught me to do a little research to find an article about listening to God which is in one article.

[jodyel]

Why nor just read and listen to the ones I posted.

They are spot on.

[fabian]

Actually, true prayer is listening to the wordless “word”, or energy of God. The bible says that He already knows what we need. The church has lost it’s way in this vital teaching...”Be still and know that I am God”. If there is no stillness, we continue to miss Him. A Jew who loves Jesus has been showing us this simple pathway for many years now on radio and at fhu.com. It is very sad that the churches of today have not jumped on board with him.

[Pajamajan]

I have bookmarked this . Thank you for posting.

[Biggirl]

Why?

[onedoug]

What could be more meaningful, or simpler, than asking God to bestow his grace on others?

[Biggirl]

Found the fhu.com online. Bookmarked.

Got to remember that true prayer is a two way conversation. Got to talk in order to listen. God will not force Himself unto us. Has to go both ways.

[Biggirl]

There are many, many other sites that are just as “spot on”, if not better. The Crosswalk site is one of them.

[fabian]

Not truly...the root of prayer is..to examine oneself. We have to watch, see, examine..the thoughts and imagination of the darkness in the mind which is where the devil does his work. We can talk to Him on occasion...I say think you to Him after sitting still in my silent prayer...but being silent is most important. Seems like little is happening when we watch the thought world, but really that is precisely where God and Jesus is.

[Biggirl]

Good article.

But you need God’s help to be able to examine oneself.

[fabian]

Of course...His light..spirit is within us to guide us. But not with words! It is simpler...like a telepathy.

[jodyel]

Mainly because these are the very people and articles that God used to teach me. And that won’t mean very much to you, because you have not seen God at work in my life or know the things He has done in it, but I highly recommend them as true Scriptural teaching.

[mlizzy]

If there is no stillness, we continue to miss Him.

I agree with this; that's what Eucharistic Adoration Chapels have accomplished for those who visit; provide them with a peace-filled room for prayer [right along "with" Jesus, in the monstrace].

Any chapel I've been to, does not allow spoken prayer. In fact, one chapel in our area had a sign that said, "If you have a cough, please consider making your visit brief," or something to that effect. -lol- Thought it a bit much, and the sign is no longer there, but when they say peace, I guess they mean it!