4 Wrong Attitudes To Have About Prayer

Sometimes no matter how hard we try, our prayers seem unfruitful and discouraging. Here are a few all too common attitudes towards prayer that will ultimately choke out your communication with God.

2. Worrying if your prayers are worthy

Too often, we forget that God actually likes us. Our prayers are not a try-out to get into the “holier than thou” club, and the outcome is not based on how many times you said “Father God,” or quoted back scripture. Prayer is about communication, and building a relationship with your Creator. He loves you, not for your eloquence or your wit, but simply because you are His. So treat Him like your best friend – talk to Him about the silly stuff, thank Him for the beauty of the sunrise, or for the creature comfort of that morning cup of coffee. Talk to Him about the heavy stuff, about the pain and the uncertainty. Be honest with God when things are difficult. One of the most simple yet gut-wrenching prayers I’ve heard was just, “God, I can’t stop this particular sin. I don’t even want to. Help me want to stop.” What a raw prayer!

3. Not taking time to listen

We’ve all had to deal with people in our lives who only ever talk about themselves. They never really engage us in conversation, but more use us as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of, or complain about their week, or brag about their kids… the list goes on and on. More often than not, we are that person when it comes to prayer. We beseech the Almighty to move is powerful hand and fix our problems, but rarely do we seek His guidance and then actually listen to what He would have do, how He would have us act. The conversation is not one way, and if you’ve never made space for God to speak into your life, this may be just what you need to jumpstart your prayer life.