Congrats to the winner of Holley Gerth’s giveaway. It is……Rosey. Send your email address to my assistant at kim@proverbs31.org so we can forward it on to Holley. Yay!
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Do you struggle with prayer?
I don’t mean that you, as a follower of Christ, think it isn’t important.
I mean things I sometimes ponder like, if God is gonna do what He is gonna do anyway—being that He is all omniscient and all—then why pray in the first place? Or why at times do I pray continually only to continually get no obvious response? Is He busy? Or ignoring me? Or is He just slow? Have I done something wrong so He is refusing to answer?
If you’ve too ever wondered about the mysteries of prayer, you are gonna LOVE the new ebook by my friend Rachel Wojnarowski.
Seriously love it.
I was honored to get a sneak preview of it. (It releases tomorrow) and even more thrilled to be asked to write the forward! Now, before I ask Rachel to tell you about the book, let me tell you about Rachel.
Rachel is originally a small town country girl who converted to a suburban mother of seven by way of life happening.
She and her husband, Matt, enjoy caring for their busy family, whose ages span 9 months to 21 years and includes a special needs daughter.
Rachel leads community ladies’ Bible studies in central Ohio and serves as an event planner and speaker for special needs parenting groups.
She is a member of the Ohio Writers’ Guild and the National MPS Society; and loves to inspire others through her blog by sharing faith, family, and fun. Wife, mom, reader, writer, speaker and dreamer, you can find Rachel on Twitter and Facebook.
Hear her heart now:
Thank you for having me over, Karen! And thank you for writing the foreword for my ebook, “The Sensational Scent of Prayer,” releasing tomorrow, May 8th! I am thrilled to share a little about this ebook with you and your readers today.
Sometimes a book begins years before the idea of writing a book ever exists. In this case, God began to stir my heart to write a Bible study about Hannah, the mother of Samuel, about five years ago.
Many of us know her story; after all, it takes up less than two chapters of the Bible (I Samuel 1&2). But the miraculous power of Hannah’s prayer resonates with us because of the answer God gave her in the form of a son. Honestly, the fact that Hannah is the only woman in the Bible to have two recorded prayers had escaped my memory when I first began to study. And how did I miss that Hannah’s second prayer was ten verses long?
After studying Hannah’s story for almost a year, I had the privilege of teaching a summer Bible study and sharing the lessons God taught me with other women. I cannot begin to tell you the ways God provided confirmation to me through the women that His timing is impeccable and His plan is perfect. This study launched me into a more regular writing ministry through blogging in October 2009 and after writing out much of the study, I still felt a hunger to share more on Hannah and prayer.
On January 5, 2009, a portion of what I wrote in my prayer journal reads:
“I believe that God wants the Hannah study to be continued.”
Fast-forward to several weeks ago, more than three years later. I went out for a run and when I returned home, I told my husband that I felt the Holy Spirit impressing me that now is the time to release an ebook about Hannah. So there is the backstory to “The Sensational Scent of Prayer.”
What does prayer smell like? How is prayer related to the sense of smell?
Without revealing all the secrets of the book, I just want to encourage you to open your heart to prayer like you never have before, allowing the tangible concepts of this earthly world to transmit a heavenly message. A message that conveys just how much God loves to communicate with His children; this is why He loves “the sensational scent of prayer.”
Ok cyber friends. Rachel has generously agreed to giveaway 5 copies to 5 women who comment on this post.
So, tell us this. What do you most struggle with when it comes to prayer?
Any of the aspects I mentioned above? What else?
Don’t be afraid to be honest. We’re a safe gang of gals here. 
Winners announced tomorrow.
Prayer is such an important part of our relationship with God – yet often I struggle with it being “real”. I pray for people, and I pray at our Bible study, but when it comes to private prayer between me and God – I get a little shy. I would love to see the beauty of prayer that this e-book seems to express. May all of our prayer lives be enriched.
Edith, how awesome that you are willing to be open about your private prayer with God. It is so difficult to be honest about that. I think most of us want others to assume that everything is ok between me and God. The truth is: He knows the difference. And we do too when we admit it. I think you will love this book!
I sometimes have a hard time coming to the place where I can pray in complete surrender to God’s will. Not coming to Him with my own answer in mind but,
praying in a way that is open to His plan in the situation.
I struggle with consistency, and impatience. I want my soul to soar with the Lord’s, but I don’t want to take the time it takes to get into deep mediation and pray, though I have NEVER been sorry when I actually did take the time. I know it is amazing, but my humaness gets in the way.
I can so relate to how you are feleing. I struggle with the same things.
I struggle with pray sometimes with how to praise, how to say it, and I find it hard to settle my thoughts, while praying my mind sometimes remembers to put something on my to do list or I forgot to to do something else, it’s like I can not focus or I get lost in ,y own words.
I hate that, I wish I could feel the power of pray and learn how to be still, be still and listen to God’s voice.
You are so right that we often fumble for words. I didn’t discuss this verse in the book, but I have one for you to claim today!
You don’t have to have the right words to say to God. He knows us inside and out. And the beautiful thing? He gave us someone special to assist in our communication with him: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Rom 8:26 Hope you have the opportunity to read the book!
I often struggle with staying the course. If I see something I think should be answered quickly and it isn’t, I get complacent and don’t pray as fervently.
Oh man. I can relate!! I had a prayer request that I was praying daily for 11 years before God answered. Seriously, 11 years. He is faithful, Friend.
I get seriously distracted and my mind goes off in tangents, and the next thing I know, I’m out of time and didn’t say any of what I wanted to. I try to use a prayer journal, but I rarely take the time I need to write in it.
Amy, I think you will love the premise of this book then. Personal time with God daily is so very important, but in chapter 5, I talk about Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians that people sometimes take as the word to enter a prayer closet and die there. That was not his meaning at all! The glorious thing about prayer is that we can do it anywhere at any time!
Blessings to you today!
I also think why bother God with my requests when he already knows what I need. I have the tendency to ramble on and on about things and wonder if God even understands what I am praying about. I have started writing requests and thoughts down as I think of them and it seems to help me keep on track a little better. I wish I was more of a woman of prayer
Oh Susan! You have all the qualifications to be a woman of prayer; you only need what you have already: the desire for it. I hope you have the opportunity to read the book!
I have had all these questions about prayer. It is a mysterious concept that I would love to explore. I do pray often and believe in prayer, but knowing that Gods Will, will be done, sometimes it’s hard to understand the importance of our praying. What a great study topic.
Denise: You are not alone in that struggle at all! But you know, we say this about God, yet we do the opposite in real life. For example, many times I know my husband already is aware of something, yet I talk to him about it. It’s not about the issue itself, but the process of enjoying the relationship and building it up.
The thing I struggle most when it comes to prayer is that I want answers and reassurances right away. I not very patient. God has his own timing and I must wait on him. I need to trust that he will do what is best even if I don’t understand.
Oh, Girl. I get it!! Really I do.
I get all worked up over something in prayer and pray fervently. Then all too soon I get lukewarm and fizzle out… Thanks for helping me actually realize that and own it!!
I struggle with putting my thoughts into words. I tell myself that God knows what thoughts are twirling around in my mind and that I don’t need to actually speak them. I do pray at times, but when I do, they all sound the same. I also struggle with being patient for God to answer my prayers. Maybe all of these factor into why it feels like my prayers aren’t being heard or answered?!
I love the title of this book. I long for an intimate relationship with God where just a smell can trigger a conversation with God.
I’m so glad you love the title. Thank you for saying that. I think this book will give you so much to build on!
Gosh, I can relate to almost every one of the previous comments I have read. I am finding that prayer is not begging God to do things my way, it’s submitting my will to His. This is hard, because I want God to do things my way. It seems like through all my life, I get close to God and then I step back. I was thinking about prayer warriors last night (kind of an old fashioned term), but I am seeing more and more that we need to be just that. Let go and let God…..I need to practice that every day.
I struggle with public prayer… praying in front of others. I’m good with talking to God on my own, but I get very anxious when I know I may be called on to lead a group in prayer.
I can relate to this, Phyllis. When I am alone with God, my focus is on Him. When I am in a group, I am always conscious of people ‘evesdropping’ on what I say. I gradually find myself more focussed on the group and what they must be thinking or how I should be speaking for all of us, than focussing on the One for whom the prayer is meant. In a way, I think it stems from years of teaching and speaking to others in ways that they can understand. The relationship I have with my God is intimate and personal. He knows my personality and what I mean. It’s almost like difference between speaking with a trusted therapist or sharing in a group of strangers. However, I am still working on this.
I have had the awesome experience of the Lord truly answering a prayer within moments…however, the point that I had to come to in obtaining that answer was complete brokeness…no one else to turn to, no where to go…the only ‘person’ left was God…my prayer was simple and raw…Help me God…Help me. Literally within moments I felt the presence of someone in the room with me…with the simple and raw response…’It will be OK’…and it was with results and the Lord’s blessing working in my life from that moment on…albiet not all easy and smooth…but He was with me every step of the way.
That occurred a few years ago…with me coming away with such a re-newed sense of prayer…He is there and listening….just waiting for you to be at the right place at the right moment…
I am ashamed to admit but over the past year I have lost that focus – flesh and material idols in the way…life, work and such…I can feel the Lord is there…I just need to walk towards Him unhindered by the idols and he will walk towards me…
Penny, this has been my journey the past few years, as well. I had always prayed before but not with the need-to-cling desperation that brought me to a deeper level in my relationship with the Lord. I learned that He listens because He cares, He cares because He loves and He love because that’s the essence of who He is!! I also learned that prayer involves so much more than I thought. It’s a chosen lifestyle/mindset and I’m not ready to face the day, if I’m not in my right mind – the mind of Christ.
I also wonder many times if he knows what’s going to happen how will my prayer change anything. I know he want to commune with us and that is one reason we pray, but does he change his mind on decisions when we pray?
Great question, Kim! I’m sure there are different beliefs about this. God is omniscient; there is no question that He knows everything. But just like our children can persuade us to change our parenting minds, so do I believe our prayers with our Heavenly Father affect Him. One example of this is in Exoduse 32. Moses was intervening to God on behalf of the Israelites and the Bible says: “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” That is the KJV. The NLT version words it like this: “So the LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.” There are multiple other accounts in the Bible of this same type of scenario. I do believe prayer changes things! If not God’s mind, then our hearts!
I think my biggest struggle is consistency and depth of prayer. I pray for things in the moment, but I want to go beyond that. I want to be intentionally praying for people — maybe a prayer list or book would help. This ebook sounds great.
Thanks Erin! Yes, I do have a prayer journal. I don’t write it in every single day, but it is a great place for accountability.
I struggle with private prayer, just talking with God. I don’t want to always ask for things, I just want to have a conversation with God!
That is exactly what He wants also. Blessings to you!
I am very discouraged about prayer. I have been praying about something continually, but God has not answered. I don’t know what to do at this point.
It is discouraging to have unanswered prayers. My encouragement to you today is to continue to seek Him and not the answer to the prayer. Easier said than done, but His timing is perfect!
Prayer is so important and often I see prayers answered, especially within our church group.
When I set down specifically to take a slot of time out to pray I do struggle with staying focussed in prayer – my mind wanders and before I know it, I’ve got my “list” going and haven’t really gotten to pray at all. The other thing is if I don’t pray right when a prayer request comes my way, I might forget to pray about it to where sometimes it’s a week later.
I struggle the most with consistency, racing through the day and remembering all the things I said I’d pray for , making prayer a dialogue and not a monologue.
this sounds like me also, when friends say, pray about that for me, it seems like a “to do” list that becomes less sincere
You know what I’ve found? Often instead of telling someone I will pray for them, I try to stop, drop and pray. If there is time, then I just ask them if they mind if I pray for them right now. If the situation is not appropriate and the Holy Spirit is not impressing me to pray aloud right then, then as soon as I walk away I begin to talk to God about it in my spirit. When I get prayer requests on the computer, then I just pray for them right then. That way my “list” doesn’t get out of control.
Consistency is my biggest struggle……and spending some alone time with it. My kids and I pray every day on the way to school – but I don’t always my special prayer time all by myself….so I guess priority is a struggle too.
Prayer is definitely important and I’ve never discounted it. Honestly I didn’t become consistent in my prayer life until I started praying at night with my little boy. I know in my heart it is important and I felt i needed to pass this along to him. In the process though, I began to be more open in my prayers to Him and although I still sometimes forget to pray on my own (not snuggling with my son cause that’s how we say our nightly prayers) I do find that my prayers with my son are getting more intimate and longer as the days go by (he actually fell asleep during my prayer last night).
What a sweet story! That IS awesome. There is a story of one of my daughters and her bedtime prayers in the book.
Blessings to you and your son!
Wondering if I am getting answers to my prayers. I know that God hears me, and I know that he wants the best for my family. Guess I’m impatient. God is saying “wait”. (guess I need to pray for patience!!!)
Ahhh. yes. The danger of praying for patience: You might get what you pray for.
The closer we draw to Him; the easier it is to discern His spirit in our hearts. Blessings to you!
I most struggle with consistently dedicating prayer time with each day.
Talk about timing….I was just thinking this weekend about the issue of prayer and if God knows what He’s going to do then why we do we pray about it. I look forward to reading your book and becoming better at “focused prayer” and less about “scattered & meandering thoughts prayer”
Oh, I struggle with all that was mentioned and then some. I find I am easily distracted when I start my prayers, my mind starts wandering and I never finish. I know prayer is an important part of my faith walk, and I want to become better at it, but I need more guidance, I want more guidance. I ask myself how can I teach my son the importance of prayer if I myself do not fully abide by that rule?
Hello. I do wonder if he is really attentive and listening to ME.!!! Billions of people on earthand he is listening and hearing me. Perhaps he is busy with some oda people with dare cases. Again is the timing the method and manner, the words to say it. I am getting it all right!
Oh yes, nkiru!! He is listening. To you, specifically. The very first chapter talks about this topic, but to give you a passage for today: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matt 10:29-31 Blessings to you today!
My biggest struggle is letting go and letting GOD. I have a tendency to try and run things instead of just continuing to pray and leaving it with God. I have been praying daily for matters concerning my adult children and soemtimes it seems like God is just taking too long to answer my prayers so I try to fix things myself – I am trying to learn to just fully lean on God in these situations.
I had to chuckle as I read this. Our dear friend, Karen Ehman, is writing a book about this EXACT topic- Letting Go and Letting God. I can’t wait for the release!
One thing I’ve noticed in my life lately is that I might have a need in my life to pray about and I’m feeling like I’m praying and meditating on this thing all the time and I really felt like God spoke to me and said “you are thinking about it all the time and stressing about it, there is a difference between praying and giving it to me than you thinking and stressing about it!” So I’ve really tried to pray and give requests over to God and set a limit as to how long I might allow myself to “worry” about something. It’s an encouragement to know that we might not always get the answer that we need or when we want it but God IS listening to us!
Dusty, I liked what you said. I know I have a tendency to want to “hang on” to my worries too. I need to let them go and just hand them over to our Lord. He loves us and will do what is best for us–even though we may not understand His answers while we are here on Earth. I love the saying: Let go and let God!!
I struggle with prayer all the time. I feel like I don’t spend the kind of alone time that would make my prayer more meaningful and precious. I feel like I’m asking for the same things all the time and not quite sure he’s hearing me. I want to just be thankful for everything that I have but there are so many things to ask for at the same time — but I want to be able to hear what he has to say to me. Sometimes I feel that I don’t wait long enough for him so I can hear the other side of the conversation. I’m missing that piece terribly.
We all miss that piece. You are not alone. I hope you read the book!
Honestly, I struggle with sitting still long enough to pray.
As a mom who waited 10 years for a baby, I just love the story of Hannah.
I hope you read the book. I love it too!!!
I have prayer struggles and I hate it. My mind wanders and I have a hard time praying out loud with a group. I would love to win the ebook. I think it would help me. Thanks for such a great giveaway.
God doesn’t mind that your mind wanders, Girl. He just wants to hear from you.
Thanks for your comment!
I definately resonate with questioning myself when prayers aren’t answered. And that causes me to be overly critical of myself…which isn’t a great help to someone already facing issues regarding “self”. I’m also like Phyllis…super shy and do not ever want to pray in front of others…but I am feeling more and more led to pray with struggling friends. Lord help! I look forward to reading the book. I love the title and cover, beautiful!
Thanks Melissa! I have to ask you if you’ve read Renee Swope’s book “A Confident Heart.” She has a fab study going on at her place for the shy person in us. It’s super fun! http://reneeswope.com/online-biblebook-study/
God Morning Karen. Rachel is an awesome guest. My biggest struggle with prayer is finding the time, or I should say, making the time to spend alone with God in prayer. I admit it, I’m lazy. I need God so much! so why don’t I make spending time with Him a priority? I allow distractions to get in my way. These things are hard to admit, I’m happy you asked the question. As of right now! I will begin to fight harder to have that special time alone with my heavenly father.
It is tough to find that time alone with God. My personal time is not perfect by any means. But I do love His all-time availability.
I have a hard time praying for my own needs/struggles/etc… I can pray for others continually but feel so unworthy myself.
Oh how He loves you, Christina! You are His. I hope you read the book.
I feel so much like Rachel does as far as how “quick” God answers. But I bet she has learned like I have that the “process of prayer” offers SO much more than even the answer does. Hannah is a dear woman to my heart. God gave me a promise for a husband from that story. Exactly 7 years later to the weekend God gave me that promise, my now husband came into my life at the church we attend. I have been happily married just a few months and I know I will for years to come, but the GREATEST joy is how my faith has grown over the “preparation years” inbetween the promise and the answer. God IS faithful even when we struggle. Pray without Ceasing- He knows what that does for us and our relationship to Him!!!
Two thumbs up, Girl! I’m so excited for you. Tried to enlarge that little profile pic so I could see your smiles.
i struggle with focus – too many things distract me in my busy life with 3 kids and a full time outside the home job!
I have a really hard time praying consistently for other people. I used to keep a prayer list and I would find myself just saying the list and then just saying the exact same words every day. Then I would try to change it up and end up putting more thought into how I was saying the words than what I was doing. So I stopped keeping a list. I try to just take the time to pray for things as they come up, but I am not really good at that either. Sigh.
I often struggle with feeling like I lack passion in my prayers. I pray multiple times throughout the day, but sometimes I feel like I should be feeling more emotionally connected to my prayers. Like I’m always praying for the same things. I know God hears me and I believe 100% He is faithful, but on my end I sometimes feel a disconnect-sort of like “Why would God even bother listening to that pitiful prayer I just prayed?” It’s something I want to work on. I really enjoyed this post and think this is such a great topic to highlight!
There’s not much here that I can’t relate to. But a biggie is if God is omniscient how can my prayer influence Him? He knows what the ultimate outcome will be. And if I pray, pray, pray for something on my heart, but then end with “thy will be done”, then what was the purpose of my prayer? I know a big part is to develop a relationship with Him, but it sure would feel good if I felt my prayers mattered.
Oh Carol. They do matter to Him. They really, really do. I hope you read the book. And some of the comments I’ve written above that give some input on that same topic. Blessings to you today!
Rachel – I had more time today to cruise through more of your comments and found some that really helped answer some of my questions. Thank you for taking the time to respond to so many. God bless you and your words!
I, too, struggle with the question, “why pray at all?” God will do what God will do! But I know He has commanded us to pray. I know God wants us to pray, to ask Him, to praise Him. I just need to do it! I don’t give prayer the priority it deserves. I’m always looking for “helps” to my prayer life. May I have the faith of Hannah!
It seems there are SO MANY things to pray about and where do I start – my own “list” and then reguests in S.S., church, e-mail and on and on. And exactly “if God is gonna do what He is gonna do anyway—being that He is all omniscient and all—then why pray in the first place? ..pray continually only to continually get no obvious response? Have I done something wrong so He is refusing to answer?” Is saying your will Lord be done too simple; is pray without ceasing literal; or what about confession before God hears me? That makes me think he could never hear me because I always have things I could confess. I could go on but I’ll stop there.
I pray all of the time, but is it focused? Do I thank God for what I should, do I honestly pray for the right things, just what I want , or is it really God’s will? Am I praying for the same things over and over? What do I need to do to have a more focused prayer life and confess my shortcomings so that I can hear God ‘s voice ? These are the tuggings at my heart and soul and I know I am not prayerfully pleasing. I want and hope to be! Peace and love…
I struggle with many aspects of praying, mostly in regard to format & content. First, I am not very comfortable praying out loud (i.e. on behalf of other people). Also, I feel like I’m always asking God for something, but I frequently forget to thank him for what he’s already given me!
I am blown away with the timing of this message because I just decided today to no longer pray! I think God isn’t hearing mine anymore so if he’s not, I’m not gonna pray anymore. I am trying to recover from a Brain Injury accident for 5 years now and don’t understand why I lived from it if I can’t get better soon. I felt God was there in the beginning but don’t know where He is now??
oh Vonnie! My heart goes out to you. I have a daughter who has MPS, a neurologically-degenerative disease. I know what you are saying! I sure hope you get the book; I really believe the Lord can use it to help you understand the purpose of prayer, even though the book is concise.
I struggle with focus and doubt. I approach prayer with all the sincerity I can muster, but then I get distracted in my thoughts. While I find it easy to lay my heart bare before God, I struggle with whether He will do anything about what I’ve communicated.
What would we do without prayer????? It’s our only hope.
Amen sister!
I love reading what the other women are feeling and struggling with, it seems we all feel the same way. I too struggle with wondering if I’m wasting God’s time. . . . . I think, “so and so is dealing with cancer, or the death of a child, or stressful job situation – does He have time to listen to me ramble on about something so seemingly minuscule when I give it thought?”. And then I find myself in an A.D.D. moment with my mind wondering, thinking about what I’ll fix for supper!! I try and pray at all times, driving, at work, at my children’s ball practices, etc. but I certainly need to spend more quiet time with the One who HEARS and ANSWERS ALL prayers!
Distraction and independence are major struggles for me. Even in guided prayer time my focus is so easliy broken. Many times I take things on by myself and forget or neglect God’s will. It’s frustrating when I am fully aware of the wonders I have witnessed in my life because of prayer. Looking forward to reading about Hannah.
I struggle with being consistent in quality prayer time. I may say things to God throughout the day, but to just stop and be in his presence and at his feet in prayer. I get so distracted and then I feel guilty and just get into a cycle of not praying like I should
When I pray I sometimes feel overwhelmed with all the things I want to pray about. I am so thankful that God sees our heart and He knows what we want to pray about before we even pray. I feel like I could pray all day and never say all I have to say! It is hard for me to always find the right words.
I believe in prayer and have seen God move and answer very specific prayers of mine, but there are some that I have prayed for years with no resolution. I just don’t understand…
I can understand your feeling. It is so hard for us, as humans, to comprehend an infinite God and His plan. But He does want the very best for us! This we can be assured of. And His timing is perfect. Every. Time. I hope you get the book; I would love your feedback once you’ve read it!
I can relate to these comments ladies! I love that prayer is simply talking to God like you’re talking with a friend. We can be so honest & real. My prayer time is little bits throughout the day & my prayer closet seems to be while in the shower:) I love praying by myself & with Bible study ladies but one weak area is prayer time with my husband–it’s so important. Two prayer requests I had have been a long time in seeing the fulfillment but God is faithful. One was nearly a decade and it was rough because I prayed about it but in my daily life I would take back the worry of it. (Worry is my other area of weakness.) God is good. Another prayer I had written down almost daily for a year & a half….over a broken relationship & God has been so faithful to restore that relationship–8 yrs later!! I love that He cares about the big things & the little everyday things we go through.
I think the shower is an excellent prayer closet!
I struggle with inconsistency in my private prayer time. I get so easily distracted or let my mind wander off. I would love to read your ebook. I have studied Hannah’s prayer before and can’t wait to see your insight. Blessings.
I have struggled with prayer many times over the years. I get impatient with wanting a answer “now”. I struggle with the content at times. There are times when I am inconsisent. However, I have seen the power of prayer and the miricles that God has performed through my church family on many occasions over the last year that I keep trying.
I’m not eloquent with words, so I often wonder if what I say in prayer is “enough.”. I also tend to make prayer a list of needs – especially for people & situations that seem so hard & heavy. I want to learn to pray with confidence & peace.
Karen – Your comments with respect to prayer brought up thoughts that I have — Is He hearing me? Am I hearing Him correctly? I am slow, but is He slower than me? Is He working with others right now that have more urgent matters that need addressed before mine? (Realize He has so many that need his time.) Am I being impatient when it seems he does not hear me? When I wonder if He is there, is it really me that is not there for Him?
It was great to hear that Hannah is the only woman to have two recorded prayers. I only recalled the one prayer. Thanks for sharing and best wishes for Rachel’s new ebook.
I think my biggest “problem” with prayer is that sometimes I repeat the same things – especially if I’m praying Scripture – and not really thinking about what I’m saying or asking. And of course, like most of us, I struggle with praying enough – the Bible says continually! A precious friend who has gone on to heaven told me she always just tried to be ready to talk with God all day long, so that has stuck with me!
Not many others have mentioned this in their comments but, like you said in the post, I struggle with wondering if He is isnt answering yes b/c of something I am doing wrong? Do i need to change something in my heart or life before He can say yes? I am learning so much more about prayer lately as my husband and I struggled big time with the fact that God chose to allow our son to die when we prayed and prayed for a miracle. .I understood His will is best and He has a better place for Him and He will use it for His purpose and all the “right” answers but it still hurt that He said no:( Just kinda feels like He is answering everything “no” since then and its getting discouraging…Thankfully I am realizing that prayer isnt so much about me as it is about God and my relationship with Him.. Also I am not a fan of praying out loud at all..is that a sign of immaturity in me? I mean I can and I do but I really dont love to!lol I am so excited about this ebook. This is actually a subject that really boggles my mind and I love the story of Hannah.
Thank you for your honesty! Lord Jesus, I pray for my sweet sister who lost her child to Heaven. Could you just use this book to minister to her? We thank you in advance for that!!
My biggest struggle with prayer is doing it consistently. I generally pray daily, but I know there are days I miss or fall asleep before my evening prayers are complete. My biggest inconsistency is praying for others and when I remember that I forgot to pray for someone or a situation, I feel guilty. I avoid being on prayer chains or prayer ministry for this very reason. I don’t want to agree to pray for someone and then not do it – to me that’s a broken promise! I lead a women’s Bible study and encourage the group to keep a prayer journal, to track prayer requests and prayers answered, but I have to admit, that I haven’t yet started to keep one of my own
I know God answers prayers, so perhaps I need to pray for help on my prayer life! I lookr forward to your book. I am considering doing a Bible study session on prayer in the fall.
What has “stuck” with me are the comments “pray without ceasing.” My thoughts then turn to “let go & let God.” Which is it? My 2 cents. . . God already knows that many of us truly struggle with our flesh and have an incredibly difficult time “letting go and letting God” do His will for our lives. So He encourages us to “pray without ceasing” because the thoughts of taking control of the situation are always so pervasive that continuous prayer is the only way to obey. It’s not so that if we pray more or pray better – he’ll answer our prayer. It’s yet another “sacred echo” so to speak of dying to the flesh and allowing God to work on our lives. Full disclosure: I’m a TRUE WORK ON PROGRESS on this. Please pray without ceasing for me
Hi Karen and Rachel,
Honestly, my struggle with prayer is carving out time to really focus on praying, not just offering up quick phrases (although I know there is a need for that). I feel like I let many friends down by praying for their needs one time quickly and then moving on, most of the time. I want to be more of a prayer warrior for others, but struggle so with the discipline to do it.
Anyone else out there feel this way?
Yes, Tabatha, I feel the same way. I want to be a mighty prayer warrior for others too. I don’t struggle with praying for them during my quiet time as much as I struggle when it comes to praying out loud with them present. I feel so inadequate and simple in my prayers. There have been times when I felt that I needed to just stop and pray with them right there….ex. in parking lot of the hospital just last week….but I didn’t, and was so convicted of that as I left. What I need to remember, I think, is that the words aren’t near as important as the act. I know how I blessed I feel when someone stops to pray with me; it really touches my heart. I need to quit withholding that blessing from others!
You go, Tracey!! Love your open heart.
I get discouraged after praying for 8 years for something and that pray still remain unanswered.
I love all of the honest comments…and feel safe to share my struggles too….
I never have enough time to pray for all of the things I need to pray about and I get easily distracted. When I walk away from my prayer time I feel like I checked it off of my “to do” list instead of feeling like I just spent time with the Lord.
my struggle with prayer is to consistently find a time every day……….and believing that God answers prayer………….or he knows already, so why pray ?
You know, I answered this in the comments above also…you are not alone! But a simple comparison for me is in my relationship with my husband. He often already knows how I feel about something or what needs I have, but we talk about them so that our relationship is closer! God loves us so much; it’s relationship He wants. I hope that helps you or makes some sense of such a complex subject. Blessings to you!
Distraction.
The thing I struggle most with in prayer is probably feeling guilty because I ask so much more from God than I feel I give to Him in praise, sacrifice, worship, good deeds, etc. Sometimes I feel really selfish for asking so much, and I just stop praying for a while. I know I shouldn’t, but it’s the truth.
I also struggle with making the time to pray when I get busy, and sometimes I feel like my prayers are so much less eloquent and heartfelt than those around me. I am a good writer and speaker, but sometimes I just feel like my prayers are worn and tired, and I know God still hears those too, but I feel like my spirit gets worn down and tired too, and that’s what I worry about.
I would SO love to win a copy of this book; Hannah’s struggle is my own. Still. And she gives me hope.
I struggle with just making it a priority and letting all the little things in life take precedence. Hard to come out and admit that but I think it comes back to being a very unorganized person perhaps….and yet how do you organize the need to prayer. Why is it not the most important thing in my day? Comes back to the basics of how important I am treating God in my life….what an eyeopener!
I struggle with TIME– feeling free to pray and let go of all those other responsibilities calling my name.
I struggle with wondering if God really cares about the details of my life, the things I pray about I often don’t think I am worthy of him supplying for me when there are so many others who have serious stuff going on…….I am not consistent with praying. I actually pray more when things aren’t going smoothly. Pray is a mystery to me.
I have tried using every method. Journaling prayers, make lists for my prayers, praying from my heart. My prayers seem to wax and wane. Lately, my prayer has been, “teach me to pray”
This books sounds amazing. I am adding it to my “to read” list on Goodreads right now! I think prayer is so important (love Hybels’ book Too Busy Not to Pray) and yet I find it difficult not to be formulaic in my prayers. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say and how to share what is really on my mind.
I sometimes feel like my prayers are surface, like I pray the same things sort of like our before dinner prayers. My children have slipped into a rut with the same basic prayer. Seems like that is the case with my personal prayer life.
I would love to get my hands on this book,, i know God anseets prayer, He answrrs prayet in the,little stuff, but sometimes not yet in th big stuff for me. I want to learn bettet how to pray.
I struggle with taking the time to stop and spend time with God. I seem to put God last in my day, even though I know He needs to be first.
A wandering mind is an obstacle in my prayer life but mostly, sitting still and listening for the Holy Spirit to speak to me instead of me doing all the talking. I’d love to win this ebook, it sounds inspiring.
Prayer is what gets me through the day. Our family has been through severe tests and trials the last four years. My husband was unemployed for three years, I have had many health issues, and recently major surgery for uterine cancer. We also opened our home to my husband’s sister who is mentally disabled during that time. Honestly, there have been many days the only thing I could do was cry out to God for help. Because I was at the end of my rope. No where to go. Just plain desperate. It seems we are continually bombarded with almost more than we can bear. My husband and I pray and immerse ourselves in the Word—we do not know what else to do. But I wonder does God really care about all heartache and pain we are going through? We see some answers to our “little”‘ prayers but the “big” prayers go unanswered. I have a deep longing to know more about “how” to pray. To really sense the Holy Spirit hears me, and that my prayers are reaching God and He is working on our behalf. Sometimes I do feel His presence but so often I have to keep on going just by faith. Believing He has a purpose and a plan.
I am struggling currently with time (work, school and kids) but also giving all my worries and concerns over to Him and not taking them back. Money is tight with 5 kids and my hubby out of work for 16months and I find it difficult to let God handle the $ concerns… I am always nagging my hubby to find work and he tells me not to worry that God will take care of us. For 16mo He has not given me one reason to doubt His amazing abilities but as a mom, I want the security of food on the table each night. (Sorry i went on & on). Love your blog, thank you for always posting ideas and questions that further my personal walk with God.
Hugs, Jennifer
My biggest challenge is praying with FAITH and BOLDNESS. I’m so afraid of misinterpreting God’s will for a particular situation that I hedge and my prayers are wishy-washy as a result. I’m convicted by James 1:6-7 “When he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts …should not think he will receive anything from the Lord”, yet I still doubt–not that God hears me or answers, but that I’m asking for the right thing. I’ve been burned before and am scared to risk praying for my heart’s desire “just in case” it’s not His will for it to be fulfilled. Wish I had more faith in this area.
Pam, you remind me of the thoughts I have quite often. I, too, have heard so often about believing that your prayer will be answered instead of doubting. Proclaiming the answer as if it has already happened. I begin by being bold, but after waiting and finding that my prayer is not answered, I begin to doubt that it will be – whether it is not His Will or I am, in some way, not worthy. And then as soon as this doubt begins to creep in, I feel that I have sinned by doubting my Almighty God and it certainly won’t be answered now. I then just pray for stronger faith and the discernment to hear His voice and not my own. After a few days of this, I begin lifting my concerns back to Him. Often, the particular petition has not been answered, but my heart has changed and I don’t feel as desperate as I did. Thank you for your post.
Thanks for the opportunity to win this new book. I’d love to explore new ways to go deeper in prayer.
I am in love with studying the women of the Bible and learning how to be more of the woman God created me to be and less of the women that the world feels should be. I have troubles and I stumble and fall but I have learned that God’s love and hands are always there to pick me up and help me back to my feet and back on the path he has chosen for me.
The “lead in” questions sounded just like me. I actually think all of those very thoughts.
With 9 children -TIME ):
so with ya. 7 kids over here.
Wow! What a great article and great comments today! I’ve been blessed already by all.
My biggest issue has been impatience…waiting for God’s timing. Over the last few months, I feel He is telling me, “Wait.” I keep hearing that over and over. And then, it seems at least 2-3 times a week, this verse keeps coming up in my Bible reading, devotionals, and even conversations, etc.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
This verse has really helped me and comforted me in that area.
My prayer life and devotion time are a hugh work in progress. I think they are like the tide. Oh to be consistent.
I can relate to so many of the comments here! I often feel blocked or frozen. Like I WANT to pray and cry out to the Lord, I need to-but just can’t…and not knowing where to start. Can’t wait to read the ebook!
I struggle with waiting for an answer to my prayers but also with knowing what to do while I’m waiting. If I have a choice to make and am waiting for God’s direction, I don’t know what I should be doing while I wait – should I gather information? Do nothing? And what do I do when I need God’s guidance on an issue and the deadline for the decision has arrived but the answer from God has not?
I could go on and on!
Thanks for the drawing!
I struggle with the actual act of prayer. I know that I need to pray and that it is important but I’m not sure what is holding me back. I have a few friends that when I pray with them, I feel so lighthearted and I want that all the time. I find that if I think about something sometimes, I feel I am being called to pray. But for some reason, I am holding back. This is something I have been feeling down about lately, and I feel terrible that I cannot bring myself to it. Thank you for this post today, I has made me feel a new resolve about what I really need to be doing. God bless both of you!
Tina, I can totally relate to this! I know prayer is THE most important thing, but somehow I continue to put it off. Sometimes when I do take the time to get still and try to pray, it’s like it just takes too much brain and emotional effort and I sit for the longest time just in a fog “trying” to pray, but never really getting anywhere. I’ve been thinking it’s a spiritual warfare issue, because I really WANT to be a fervant prayer and have that intimacy with God – obviously the enemy doesn’t like that. Been trying to find verses about that issue and pray those, aloud even, when I do get to pray.
Ahhhh, so nice to know I am not alone! Thank you for responding to my comment. I agree with the spiritual warfare part. That is why I bought Beautiful Battle by Mary DeMuth (sorry for the pug for another author,
). Although, I have not had the time (like everything else) to read it, I will get to it soon! I also think this book will really help with understanding prayer and why it is sometimes something we do not do, it sounds amazing!
I sometimes feel that God is totally listening and answering my prayers, but then I get hit with something that I feel that I’m “bugging” Him about. Do I continue to pray the same prayer until I get the response (and if so isn’t this bugging God, or making it seem like I don’t believe He heard me the first time), or do I say it once, and let it go? That’s my struggle.
My biggest struggle with my private prayer time is knowing whether or not I’ve spent enough time in pr.ayer during my “quiet time.” I also will pray at various times throughout the day…”popcorn prayers.” I’ve tried prayer journals, which for a time were beneficial, but got away from using a journal. In corporate prayer, I get nervous to pray out loud. It’s like my mind goes blank & I don’t know how to pray.
My first thought was the fact that I always feel so needy. How to balance adoration, praise and worship with my requests? Yet, the comment about wondering if God isn’t answering because I did something wrong also hit home.
My prayers are often short, quick, and to the point. After all, it is said that God is with you everywhere, right? I even pray before I use my debit card to pay for groceries praying that my card goes through! Might sounds silly but…prayer somehow relieves stress. I cannot even get on my knees often because of my injuries from car crash but did wonder for a while if that made me a bad prayer person if I do not get on my knees. At times I wonder if my prayers should be filled with fancy words like I see in some places…but God knows that is not me. So I just present myself before God as I am.
The debit card prayer – so with here!
Setting a daily prayer time.
As a grandmother, and Christian for 37 yrs, it is about time that I get it “right” with God in prayer, but I am far from there, and write this with tears in my eyes. I don’t make myself take the time, I am So inadequate in my praise……..I cannot imagine finding the words to praise Him Enough! I pray for others frequently throughout the day, but am “embarrassed” that I am always “asking”……….the list goes on. I look forward to your book with anticipation and I thank you for being a woman of God who desires to help us all, with wisdom from our Lord!
I struggle with learning to not just come with a list of needs or wants but how to have a conversation and be quiet and listen to God’s voice.
Prayer…my biggest struggle? Questioning the strength of my faith…knowing that God is able, but will He choose to say, “Yes?”
I love to pray for others (especially those I love dearly), but I struggle for praying for myself. I don’t know if it is a lack of faith or a feeling that my prayers/needs aren’t as important, or that I still lack the feeling of intimacy that I want with God that I wonder if he really hears me. I know that prayer is powerful and have seen it move in other’s lives, but I’m too impatient (maybe) to wait to see Him move in my own life.
I’ve been asking God to make me a woman of prayer. I pray for needs. I pray for strength. I pray for a lot of things. Gratitude is a flowing prayer in my life as well. What I struggle with is acknowledging God for who He is in my prayers. The adoration. I want to really learn to focus on Him so the rest of my life can flow a little bit more like the woman God wants me to be.
Prayer is something that I have a real problem with. I try to make it a daily priority, (even multiple times daily), but so oftem I loose my focus. I’m sure that part of the problem is not getting myself quieted down first. I do know that God answers ALL prayers, in His time….sometimes we don’t want to accept the answer if it’s not what we want so we assume He didn’t answer at all! I have less difficulty praying for the needs of others than for myself, I guess because I don’t feel “worthy” or something, and I’m terrified if I’m asked to pray outloud. I’m sure that your book would be a great asset to me.
My struggle with prayer is that I seem to be praying about the same things. I always thank Him for all my blessings and pray that he will be with my children . I also ask His blessing on the sick. I know I don’t give Him enough praise. I pray everywhere too– in the car, walking, in the garden and especially when I can’t sleep.
I struggle to pray with thanksgiving, like we are exhorted to do in Phillipians. I pray often, sometimes without ceasing, but I have to discipline myself to pray with thanksgiving and not just remind the Lord constantly of my requests. When I have waited on the Lord for answers to prayers, my struggle isn’t to continue to pray but to recognize His Sovereignty and goodness and to remember that God is at work always for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I want to GIVE THANKS, to pray with thanksgiving, even if it’s on faith alone, anticipating His answer, trusting His goodness and love while I’m waiting.
I love that you recognize God is working GOOD always.
I struggle with praying god’s word, sometimes I want to cry out and ask him to just to do it, but then I remember to pray his word, because the bible says that God honors his word. so I want to remind him, that way it will get things done.
Praying Scripture is wonderful!
I lack the desire to pray. And when I “force” myself to do it, it sounds more like a grocery list of things I’m thankful for and then things I need. It’s not open communications going back and forth like I think it should be. I would love to have a better non-forced prayer life.
Understanding prayer is tough for me — communication with Him should be unceasing — I get that. But what about petition? What does the story of the unjust judge mean when weighed beside Jesus’ lesson on how to pray and his indictment of vain repetitions. If I trust God, isn’t asking once enough?
Rachel — Need to add a note to my prior post. Realize God will bless your e-book and you do not really need ‘best wishes’. Believe that the time and effort you have given God in delving into His word to research this book has not only blessed you, but will be a blessing for many of us. I have not read it yet and have already learned about Hannah’s two recorded prayers. Look forward to reading it.
You are so sweet! No worries; I knew what you meant!
My biggest struggle in Prayer time is quiet focus. I talk to God all day long in lots of “Thank you, Jesus” and “Oh God, Please…”; quick shout outs. But, taking the time to still my racing thoughts and quiet my anxious emotions and literally go to God in prayer is not something I accomplish easily. I have found using prayer beads helps and can be a tangible reminder to pull my wandering thoughts back from grocery lists and schedules long enough to speak and listen for God. But smell? Now I am intrigued…Can’t wait for the book.
One of the hardest aspects of prayer to me is to be persistent over a long period of time. It seems so pointless to constantly pray for the same request and nothing changes, even though we trust in God’s perfect timing.
Dear Karen and Rachel, My prayer struggle came from the final chapter of Lysa book, “More than just a good Bible Study girl”. My life has been a series of dashed hoped. In the mist of it all I have a 25 year marriage to a man who turned out to have “special needs” and my oldest daughter has Aspberger and my youngest daughter chronic headache syndrome. (Just to name a few.)
After home-schooling for 12 years I returned to school to get re-started on a serious career as I have cleaned houses to support my family for over 10 years and my body was giving out as well as my clientele started dieing and going into nursing homes.
3 years forward: My Aspie daughter is the top student graduating in her trade school in a male dominated field. My husband continues “status quo”. My middle daughter who has been the glue that held it all together while I went to school fell apart a little this year, but as the school year ends, God has given her an amazing young man who is willing to take the slow route in what may be a “forever after” blessed story.
My dangerous prayer this week was for daughter number 3 who feels she has had to accommodate everyone when the truth was more the opposite. Last night God brought her and I through one of our 3 hour talks (rant on her part) to a closure of me stroking her head in my lap as I prayed my hearts “Out loud”, the desire of my heart over her as I have not been able to do for over 4 years.
Life still is not pretty in a lot of ways for our family, but I know that my Redeemer lives and I know HE holds my hand. Yes, there is one more child, my son turned 16 this weekend and is struggling with not having the material possessions of his peers and a normal dad. I don’t give my kids stuff, but I give them all I have.
Prayer has been more for maintenance and praise; to keep my joy praise in my hope of salvation and joy of creation. Starting this week I started a prayer journal that is different from all others I have had before. I am writing out my “dangerous prayers”. I have been struggling with a “systemic” yeast infection for 3 weeks. My hands are raw and peeling as I wait out the final stage of this most recent flair up. 3 weeks until graduation from college. I got my paper degree in the mail a month ago, but I am going to walk in the ceremony. I am an intern at my college until the end of August and praying for a “real” job in the fall.
God has supplied all my needs, I praise Him for a fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are His works and my soul knows it very well.
~Shalom Deena-Marie
What a testimony! Thank you for praising Him. Blessings to you, dear lady.
I get frustrated because I can’t hear him.
When I pray, sometimes I wonder if I’m doing it wrong. Am I addressing Him the right way? Is there a order in what to pray first? Am I repeating things? How many times can I pray about something? When I pray I say whatever comes from my heart, but the things listed above start leaking into my head and…
I have trouble finding time to sit down and pray. With two young children, my house is always noisy. I find myself shooting up little, mini prayers in my mind throughout the day. But I struggle with setting aside the quiet time to discuss issues with God – and with quietly awaiting His answer.
I have trouble foucsing my attention. What has helped me is recently I’ve been holding onto a small stone that I have when I pray. I call it my David & Goliath Stone – “One Smooth Stone”. It helps me to focus my thoughts when I pray. I look forward to reading your book Rachel!
I struggle with knowing what God’s will is for any given prayer. I want to pray in accordance with it, but I often have no idea what it is. And when I *am* sure, I know it might take a loooong time to see it accomplished. I prayed for my dad’s salvation for 37 yrs! He got saved at 86. My brothers had given up a long time before that, due to Dad’s stubbornness and intelligence, which both stood in the way of repentance. But I KNEW that, when I prayed about this as a brand-new Christian, God told me He would not allow Daddy to die before he got saved, so I kept praying. And praying. And praying. Who knew it would take so long?? I am now praying for my children’s relationships with God. I only hope it doesn’t take 37 years for the results to come to pass….
I struggle with all the above! (Or why at times do I pray continually only to continually get no obvious response? Is He busy? Or ignoring me? Or is He just slow? Have I done something wrong so He is refusing to answer?)
I question myself & my abilities. Why doesn’t God answer me the way he answered…
Hi Rachel. the thing I most struggle with when it comes to prayer is probably the times when I feel guilty. There are times when I just take a long time to pray for lots of different folks with lots of different needs, but on some days, the schedule does not permit that, or I just forget, or whatever. Then I will feel guilty, like I have let those people down; but God is reminding me that he is not hemmed in by time, and the prayers I prayed yesterday, or two weeks ago, can still catch his attention right now! I also have to constantly keep on reminding myself that God is in control, so I don’t have to worry about how things will turn out. I can pray about them and then leave the concern in God’s capable hands. Thanks for your book ~ it sounds wonderful! Diane
I struggle with the “realness” of prayer sometimes. Like Karen mentioned, since God knows me inside and out, and he already knows what I need and what is goin to happen, I’m sometimes discouraged (by myself) to take as much time for prayer as I should or would like it. I’m really looking forward to reading this book and re-vitalizing my prayer life! Thanks Karen and Rachel!
I find it difficult to put into words what is really on my heart. When I have to pray in a public setting, it’s even worse! Jotting things down during the day seems to help me remember what to pray for. I know that God knows my heart, but I would like to be able to communicate with Him on a more intimate level.
Im a realitively new Christian and I think praying is something that felt uncomfortable at first. For a while I felt I was praying by means of the constant conversations I felt I was having in my mind with God. A mentor suggested I try writing out my prayers so I recently started journaling by writing letters to God. This past weekend while spending time with my son who is in the Navy and in need of prayers I found myself on my knees in prayers. There was still a sense of feeling uncomfortable because I wasn’t even sure the right words to pray but I felt his presence. So I sit here after saying goodbye to my son with prayers still lifted for his strength and courage. And that In time he too will open his heart to Gods love.
I do sometimes feel like why am I praying when God knows all this already & He also knows the outcome already….regardless of my prayer. I can’t change His mind.
I have heard enough sermons to of course know that it is needed for a relationship. I definitely could benefit from this ebook though!
I am the type of person who finds it hard to ask for things, and this flows into my prayer life. I have no problem worshipping and Praising my Lord, but when it comes to asking for “things” from Him, for me or for others, it just is not in my vocabulary. I know the word says, ‘ask and you shall receive’ but I still have a hard time doing that.. I would love to read your book to see if it addresses my questions.
The thing in the intro that really grabbed my attention was the last question about how I may have done something or be doing something wrong so that my prayers just aren’t working. My personality is such that I constanly struggle with guilt and worry about if I have done anything wrong. So when it seems God is not answering right away, or I can’t really focus and so I feel really distant from Him, I think I must not be doing something right. Whether it’s my attitude or unconfessed sin – whatever! I try to make sure there is no unconfessed sin lingering, but sometimes I feel like I could spend hours listening for God to speak to me about my sin and never get anywhere else. I know God doesn’t expect me to be perfect, but I also know He blesses obedience and I find it almost impossible to find a balance there. Can’t wait to read the book!
I struggle most in my prayer life with taking time to STOP and pray. I’m constantly on the go, so I pray on the go. I can’t hear and listen as well when I’m on the move. Prayer is about listening to God as much as it is about talking to Him.
I struggle with distraction and not knowing what to say. Also remembering to pray throughout the day not just morning and evening.
I am a single mother and oftentimes feel very needy in my prayers. I struggle with trust when I read the promises in the bible, but don’t see an answer to a specific prayer or prayers. I tend to wonder what I am doing wrong.
Karen, this blog was a message to me straight from God this morning. Your first paragraph “I mean things I sometimes ponder like, if God is gonna do what He is gonna do anyway—being that He is all omniscient and all—then why pray in the first place? Or why at times do I pray continually only to continually get no obvious response? Is He busy? Or ignoring me? Or is He just slow? Have I done something wrong so He is refusing to answer?” are all of the questions I’ve been asking God and others for the past week, and just this morning I asked God if I did something to make him mad. I’ve been praying for my husband who is in prison right now. He loves the Lord, but the past caught him with him and God has chosen to use it for ministry. We both want to do God’s will, but I also submit my request to God for my husband’s early release. However, I’ve been struggling with if there is even a point in asking for something specific when we say “Your will be done” or if it is wrong for me to even ask that for my husband to come home earlier than his sentence. I feel like I’m running around in circles with trying to understand prayer and how to pray for God’s will. I’ve even sought Godly wisdom from other strong believers, but I believe I’m missing something or God wants to tell me more.
The silent times is difficult for me at times. Learning just to be still and silent to hear Him speak to me.
I struggle with really praying for my family. Moving long term prayers not just “make them get along today,” but their futures, their faith, their families to come.
Let me tell you ladies, what a blessing it has been to read your heart-felt, gut-honest responses about your struggles and/or praises of this topic of prayer. As only the good Lord can allow, I have had the privilege of walking alongside Rachel in these past few years of her journey. She has graciously allowed me to get a sneak-peak into her God-work. Let me tell you, it is THAT GOOD. You WILL be blessed. You WILL receive a word.
I also wanted to thank you Karen, for your wonderful gift of penning the words to the “forward” section. God’s girls, working as a team, is just such a beautiful thing! God bless!
Thank you Girl. Told you earlier, but I’ll say it again. Couldn’t go God’s work without you; you are such a blessing!!
I have such a hard time getting my mind quiet. I have so many things racing through my mind and “pop-ups” of things I need to do, forgot to do, or want to do. It is hard to find time with small kids, a full time job and a house to keep up to not find a distraction when I sit down. I know this sounds bad but I also feel double guilt…..I feel guilty when I try to get things done then have some devotion time because then I am tired and not giving my full attention to the Lord. But on the flip side I feel guilty if I take time before anything else is done because I feel like I am neglecting my children and husband’s needs. I know that is not the truth but it is a distraction in allowing me to fully relax in spending time with my Lord.
My biggest struggle is with making prayer time an honest priority. Although I try to look to the Lord throughout the day, and praise Him for answering little prayers, devoting time to get into deep, daily prayer time is something I will continue to strive toward.
I struggle with focusing! I’ll be praying for something and a hundred other thoughts crowd into my mind and before I know it, I have a hard time remembering what I started to pray for!
I’m sad to admit that my discipline TO STOP and do it is my biggest weakness.
I’ve been living a “rush through” lifestyle for the entire schoolyear. I love having a good deep quiet time where I can journal my thoughts and meditate in prayer….life has just gotten too busy.
Making it a priority. Thanks ladies.
I struggle with taking the time to do a quality prayer. I can do quick prayers as I go about my day but I feel the void in taking the time to devote fully to God in prayer.
Public prayer
Staying on target, trying to keep from letting my mind travel.
But oh how wonderful it is to hear that a prayer has been answered.
What does prayer smell like? Oh, I love smells! Hopefully I will have an opportunity to make this more personal in my own prayer life. Staying focused is my biggest challenge. But remembering 1 Thessalonians 5:17 helps me to get rid of the guilt that I could punish myself with throughout the day.
My mind wanders off constantly, like a cat outdoors, I have to continually try to bring myself back to the fact I’m praying (or at least supposed to be). I also have a hard time with praise. Everything I think of is old and tired. I feel dry like leaves. Some of the things I’ve prayed most intensely and urgently about haven’t been answered – at least not how I would hope. The people still died. I’m not sure prayers have any influence over God, praying is probably just supposed to change ME.
There are so many, many things I struggle about with my prayers. Does God hear me? (I know He does but sometimes I feel as if my prayers are not worth asking). Am I praying the way that I should or am I being selfish? (If God wants me to share all of my desires with Him, I am thinking that allows me to be selfish). How do I know what I should pray for? (besides the Lord’s prayer?). I want to really, really know (I mean KNOW) Christ, so if I ask that in my prayer will that be the result? If I ask for patience, will I endure terrible trials in order to develop patience? If so, should I avoid that prayer? The list can go on and on. This is a deep topic and I would love to read your book. I have always loved the story of Hannah and Samuel and would never have equated to my own personal prayer life.
Boy, I could have written those first few lines. That is me exactly. Been praying about something for so long. Some days I get the impression that what I pray about is not really about me, but since I am in the mix, I guess I feel there must be something I should get out of it….Sometimes the hard times are just hard and you have to have someone you can say what you think to without worrying about any repercussions at all. It’s know like He does not know what is in our hearts anyway… Thanks.
I have no problem praying for others and the needs in their lives… Recently, I pulled a book on prayer off my shelf determined to study and learn more about a personal prayer time – just between me and God. It took no time at all, and I was just looking at the book as I would walk by. I really began thinking about why I have such a hard time opening my heart fully to God. I think it comes down to my being afraid to be truly vulnerable before Him (which is silly, since He made me and knows me more intimately than I know myself). Although I know in my head that His desires for me are what are best for me, in my heart I fear being vulnerable before Him… I’m sure that is just my humanity and my experiences with other humans that make me feel that way. Someday I hope to conquer that fear.
I think my biggest struggle right now, is when I have prayed and continue to pray for a certain thing and then have an “aha” moment and realize maybe that wasn’t the wisest thing to ask for. I then feel totally inadequate in asking for anything since I don’t really know what it is I need to ask for. It’s not that I think I bother God, but that I should be able to figure it out sooner.
My concern is praying for the wrong thing. I know that God knows better than I do.. Even if I don’t understand what he’s up to. So if I’m pouring my heart out for God to heal someone, and that itsnt his plan, is it a selfish prayer? If my hearts desire is to see snow this winter (after 3 years in hawaii) would answering that prayer cause someone else to be unhappy, harmed, late for something important? And you always hear people say “God doesn’t care about which parking spot you get.” So I thank God, I ask him for the wisdom to handle the situations I’m put in, I ask for forgiveness.. But I have a hard time going farther than that..
In my prayer life/journey, I struggle with consistency; I seem to pour my heart out one day and the next I feel like I am disconnected and all over the map. I also struggle with feeling like my prayers and requests are very repetitive. I always ponder if I have adequately brought every reques/praise concerning my children and husband before the Lord…and I never feel like I know how to articulate the requests and praises specific to myself.
My prayer right now is for everyone here who has posted or just read the posts with no comment. I feel that God is so pleased to see all of us talking about how important it is that we seek communion with Him through prayer. Whether we feel like we don’t have the time or proper words to communicate, I believe that He sees our heart and knows how much we love Him. Thank you, God, that we are born in a time and place that allows us to openly confess our love for You! Amen!
Although I deeply WANT to pray more, I struggle to carve out time. The day seems too short to get everything done.. When I pray first thing, it is the best way to start the day. I pray for strength & discipline to be more consistent!
I, like so many others have said, don’t always feel worthy to ask anything of God. I also struggle with trusting and handing over my worries to Him. I tend to want to hang on to them tightly. Thanks for ministering to women through your writing.
Christina
I find myself “getting in a rut” and making the same requests to God all the time. Not that I shouldn’t pray for my family and friends, but I don’t always feel passionate about it. That makes me feel bad that I don’t spend enough time enjoying talking to God. Oh yea…… and taking the time to listen for his voice.
My struggle now is to pay attention while I’m praying, and not let my mind wander.
This is just what i need. Ijust had this same discussion with my friends the ohter day! I do struggle with prayer adn I would love this book!
I must be 100% honest my greatest struggle is consistency and waiting for God to answer those are my biggest areas of need. And my desires are to REALLY pray for the things of the Lord and not cheesy prayers but prayers that are powerful and meaningful.
My biggest struggle with pray is doing it on what would at least resemble a regular basis. Sure, I pray daily, but they’re the quick types. I struggle with the regularity of heart-felt prayers, followed by a quiet time to listen for His answer.
What I struggle with the most while trying to pray is that I seem to be praying the same things each day. I truly do want prayer to be my priority. I do truly want to go deeper into praying. I pray small prayers throughout the day mostly praising and worshiping. I would love to read your ebook.
My struggle is with time – making time to pray and be with my Lord.
I struggle with knowing what to say and how to say it. It seems there’s so much and so many folks to pray for I don’t know how to fit it all in. When I pray at night especially, I’ll sometimes fall in asleep in the middle of prayer. How do I prioritize or fit it all in??? I have started praying right away, if I get an email about someone getting sick or someone’s death…..which helps a lot. I like devotionals because they put words together so nicely for you.
I struggle with “talking” to God as in a personal relationship. I can pray for others, but when it comes to pouring out my heart to Him on a personal basis, I struggle with that and struggle with being still and “hearing” God speak back to my heart.. At this point in my life I really need to be able to do this and to hear from Him and hear that He loves me.
I struggle with keeping my focus during prayer. My mind starts wandering too often. I also seem to pray about the same things all the time. I think maybe I should pray for a clear mind before I pray!
I too struggle with consistency. Then after I pray, I struggle with discernment….how do I know if He is answering me, or if I am answering myself?
In my walk with Christ I have found that knowing all the theories and listening to all the messages does little to improve your prayer life. It takes more. My struggle is being committed to prayer. I understand the importance of it AND the danger of not staying connected to our Father but I still struggle. I have no problem in corporate prayer but private devotion is a major challenge for me.
My struggle with prayer is keeping my brain focused. I start prayer with my heart, then my brain gets in the way.
For me the hardest part of prayer in wondering(still) do I really mean enough to God for my prayers to be worth him answering. When I pray for others I KNOW God loves them & they’re important to him but I still struggle with am I? Sometimes…
I struggle with the same things you mentioned in your post. Also, sometimes I feel like I am saying the same things repeatedly, day after day. Then it seems too routine and even insincere. I know there is a variety of things I could pray for, but I don’t put enough time into planning it. That leads to another issue–not making time. {sigh!}
I struggle most with consistency in prayer. I need to do better at setting aside a certain time every day and giving it my full attention.
If you only had enough cyber time to hear all my not understanding prayer. I seem to be really good for a while then I seem to be discouraged when I don’t hear NOW. Funny how we live in a “microwave society”, we except every thing to be instant. Unfortunately, God doesn’t always operate like rest of us do. Is this what is called impatient? Hum, is this God speaking to me? To wait, and listen? See Karen you always give me such good insight. Thanks for always being there and your encouraging words you pass along to us.
My problem is distractions. I can’t sit down in a quiet time with the Lord and just talk to Him and listen for Him… my mind goes to to-do lists and what I forgot to do yesterday… I’ve been incorporating small prayers here and there throughout my days, but I lack in the quiet time and I wish I was better at that.
I suggest journaling for that struggle. I used to be so easily distracted when I would pray that I couldn’t even finish a prayer it seemed. When I first started journaling, I wrote my prayers – just like you say them only write them while you say them. It does a wonderful job of helping your mind to stay focused on your prayer. Then of course journaling can grow and you may even find him talking back to you in your own handwriting!
With being a new christian (8 months), it is all new to me. I use to strongly believe that my prayers would be answered if it is God’s will. However, I feel guilty asking for prayer for myself as sometimes I think I am just being selfish. I do talk to God and let Him know that I feel this way……… The things I have read on the internet say that to get prayers answered you must do this or do that. I am doubting things, and now think that I won’t ever get prayers answered because I have not followed all the steps. I need help!
When it comes to prayer, I most struggle with praising Him.
I think my struggle is I tend to be overwhelmed with all the things that need prayed over. Many people need our prayers, many sick and struggling loved ones, many have needs. I struggle to stay focused I try to allow the Spirit to lead me about who He wants me to pray for and not just trying to pray for everyone I know! I am a worshiper and so we use fragrance to relate to our worship – our praise brings an aroma before the Lord. So I am intrigued with this book title and what God has given you to share! Excited to read it! God bless!
So, tell us this. What do you most struggle with when it comes to prayer?
I seem to be able to pray for others, what they’ve asked for, what they need, how they hurt, what’s bothering them…..
Any of the aspects I mentioned above? What else?
However, I seem to have difficulty finding out how to listen to God…what does He want from me, what does He wish to tell me, What area does He want me to grow in. Maybe I’m a bit fearful of what I might be hiding from? Maybe I don’t want to know?
Don’t be afraid to be honest. We’re a safe gang of gals here.
I am being honest here…and a bit ashamed at the same time. After all, what could be better than hearing from the Creator HIMSELF…about what He desires for me…FOR MY BEST????……sigh.
Thanks…and this looks like a very exciting and at the same time….”smelly” new book!
Thank you for the post today Rachel. Sounds like a wonderful book from a precious writer. As far as my struggle., I echo some comments that I read above: distractions & consistency. I am thinking that a prayer journal will help. Going to give it a try
Thank you for giving me a voice to my thoughts. The question I struggle with is: Am I praying for something that is not God’s will for me so that’s why He’s not answering my prayer?
I struggle with keeping the faith when prayers go unanswered for a long time.
The older I get, the more I realize the importance of prayer – first and foremost, not as an afterthought or an add-on to anything! God is faithful, powerful, able to do exceedingly abundantly above ALL we ask or think! Imagine that.
I feel like I’m having the same one-sided conversation over & over….same words in the same order with the same emotions…almost like I’m playing a role instead of really engaging with the another person Everyone says to talk to God like you’d talk to your best friend sitting across the table from you – except that He’s not right across the table & I can’t look at His face & eyes the way I can when my friend & I are out for coffee. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to someone who has their head buried in a newspaper & maybe makes occasional noises to let me know they’re still breathing. I don’t like feeling this way & I know it can be better. I just don’t know how to get to that better place.
I can so relate to this feeling! I am hoping this book is an answer to at least one of our prayers!
My struggle is knowing when God is firmly saying “no” or when I should continue to ask Him for something.
Last year I was going through a difficult season of life. My husband had a herniated disc which placed him in agonizing debilitating pain for MONTHS which was difficult to watch as well as caused some personality changes in him. He couldn’t do anything, and I was pregnant with our fourth daughter which was a high risk pregnancy due to some placental complications. It was alot. I prayed and prayed and prayed and PRAYED. I went through the gamut of emotions from sad to frustrated to enthralled by anger that God wasn’t answering me. I even tried guilt tripping Him by bringing in the fact that my children’s prayers were also being ignored. In the end our prayers were answered and the outcome have been huge blessings… a healthier and painfree husband, a beautiful and perfect daughter and an understanding that prayer is super important although I can’t say I still know why other than it quiets us down enough so He can speak to us uninterupted. Thanks for your posts, you gals are a God send. I love knowing that there are other mothers who are grasping at the same issues as I even if you are across the country.
I think I am distracted by the doing of life and forget about the being. And through that, prayer gets left behind.
I struggle with praying for God to change the heart of a family member while knowing God allows each of us a free will. For 15 years I have prayed, at times fervently and otherspraying God’s will be done and leaving it at that. What is the difference in accepting and trusting God’s will and being apathetic?
So many of these comments speak to my prayer life also. I struggle with consistency and also being afraid that I don’t say the right words. Prayer has always been harder for me than most aspects of my faith.
Thank you for this drawing! I would love to win the ebook. It seems that so many women have the same issues that I do! I KNOW that prayer changes things, even if is my attitude! The only thing in my life that I have successfully placed before the throne and not even tried to snatch back is my dear daughter! (I used to be SUCH a control freak!!!) I did that over 17 years ago and I still feel God is with her, protecting her, guiding her, providing for her. He has turned her into an amazing mommy for three darling, precious little boys all under 5 years old! I do not know how she does it, since she works outside the home as well. She is currently recovering from back surgery and will need me to help with the boys.
My personal prayers seem to be almost rote, lacking a ring of sincerity. I know that I do not often enough take the time to listen for His voice, just a quick list of requests and then I am off again. I need to remember that RELATIONSHIP takes TIME!!!
I seem to struggle with prayer. I feel like I am just repeating the same things everyday such as, thank you for your blessings, Lord please keep my children safe, etc. etc. I once heard a preacher say to just talk to him like he is right here having a one on one conversation face to face with us. I sometimes do this especially when I am depressed or at my wits end about something, or in the car. The difficult part seems to be when I am waiting on an answer and it doesn’t seem to come. Am I just simply missing it totally? Am I listening at all? It can be frustrating.
I struggle with how to start the prayer. I don’t mean by Dear Father or Our Father in Heaven but after that I struggle. I want to just jump into the meat of the conversation. I have often heard there is a formula for praying. You know pray for the leaders of our country first and then last on the list is you can pray for yourself. I can’t pray like that. It makes me feel like there is this check list that I have to do while praying. Just does not seem real for me. That is my struggle along with a list of others that were listed here from others.
I can’t wait to get my hands on your book!!!!
My biggest struggle is praying for myself. I pray for my family and friends and anyone who asks or has needs I know of. I do stop to pray with people when they ask, but not as often as I’d like. I’m a work in progress. I’ve also found that God will awaken me to sit and read my Bible which leads to prayer, but setting a daily quiet time has been inconsistent.
I struggle with being overwhelmed by so many things that need prayer and not having enought time to pray about it all. I end up praying about the things closest to my heart — my family and close friends. i don’t feel like I pray about other very important things.
I struggle with allowing distractions to interfere with my prayer time. Those distractions come in the form of family asking questions of me or the phone ringing for my attention. Because of distractions, I often fail to remain persistent in prayer. We’re trying to sell our home. Nine months down the road, I begin to fail at persistance and patience in prayer.
My struggle is that I need to pray about everything and when i state that i will get back with someone about something that i feel needs prayed about, they have the attitude that i am just stalling for a way to say no. and it definitely is not the case and the times i have Plucompromised with this and gone ahead and said yes because it is for a good thing, it backfires.
Plus it is difficult to make prayer such an important element of ones life when those you are dealing with regularly feel that it is a weakness and sign of lack of spiritual growth.
I so look forward to reading your book. I find it easy to pray for others and the emergency needs of others…..but when it comes to me, it is another story. I can not stay focused, faze in and out, get lost……like its not as urgent as my family and friends needs and desires. I can express how much I love him and thank him for my many blessings, ask for forgiveness of my sins and then I am lost. I hope this makes sense to the person reading it.
I struggle most with being consistent with prayer and have always felt (do to my up bringing) if it wasn’t formal prayer with sophisticated language then it wasn’t “official” prayer. I do love when my prayers are spontaneous thank you’s or adoration’s to God for even the smallest things he shows me, does for me and provides for me.
Some of the things I struggle with most with prayer are, am I forgeting someone? Did I not pray about if long enough?
Another thing is I struggle with my night time prayer sometimes I start out with a great prayer at night then I find myself waking up in the morning know ing I never completed my prayer. I feel awful! Luckily I know that I pray morning, noon and night so I know not to be too hard on myself.
That is what I struggle with with my at home prayer life, one huge thing I struggle with outside my own home prayer life is praying out loud in front of people when it comes up. I am scared and feel like I will mess it up everytime. I know there is no wrong way to do it as long as I am speaking to GOD from my heart, but I feel like people might judge it.
Thanks for the nice post!
I say God’s will be done, but what if His answer is no, things are going to be like they are forever? What if this struggle is God’s will for me for some reason I don’t understand?
Dear Rachel,
I have been married for 41 years and have been praying for my husband and his salvation that long as well. The other day I just sat down and thought, I probably should just stop praying for him. I am tired and exhausted Nothing has changed I felt very weary…..until a really good friend reminded me that having done all to stand and by faith God has heard my request and start praising Him for all He has done in our lives up to this point. I just put a smile on my face and thought,God you have it all under control!!!! It really gave me a peace about where things are for us. As girlfriends we need to constantly be there for each other and remind each other….God is always listening and He never fails us.
I think my biggest problem is wanting to give up if prayers go unanswered for a while
I would love to read your book.We are never tooi old to learn!!
Thank you for writing this study on Hannah
Sue.
For me it is that fervency as the days turn into months and then into years and I don’t see any progress or things are going the wrong direction.
I worry that I am not praying the will of God. My daughter has a seizure in 2010 that left her with anoxic brain damage, I pray that she will be healed completely; I worry that praying for this is wrong if it’s not God’s will. I don’t want to be ungrateful for the tremendous blessings he has given me. I know he can fully restore my daughter, I just don’t know if that is his plan.
I’ve been struggling a lot lately in the area of prayer. It’s like, all of a sudden, I’ve lost all my words and I don’t know what or how to pray anymore. I sit in church and at the women’s ministry events and listen to these godly women pour out their heart & soul as they pray – sometimes for 20-30 minutes non-stop – and think to myself, “Self – you’ve been a Christian pretty much your whole entire life…why can’t YOU pray like that?!” I used to be able to write our my prayers (I’ve always said I’m better on paper than in person), but even that isn’t working anymore. I pray all the time — the best is my alone time during my commute to & from work every day — but they seem rote & stifled & “staged” – like I’m reading from a script. I feel like I get more “No” and “Wait” answers from God than “Yes” just because I give up too easily when I’ve been praying for something for what seems like forever to me…..like He’s just about ready to say “Yes” (since to Him, a thousand years is like a day) but I give up just before the “yes” happens…..and, because of some life circumstances, I just don’t know the ‘desires of my heart’ anymore to ask him for those. But I keep praying, so that’s got to count for something!
I struggle with knowing that my prayers are being heard. I would not listen to my prayers if I were God. They are often weak, selfish, disconnected, on again off again because I got distracted while praying. I seem to say basically the same thing every time with a peppering of a new thing here and there. I don’t feel like I am really talking to God. My heart is not making it real for me. To be totally honest, this truth kind of scares me. I don’t want it to be this way.
I have many of the same questions that you have, Karen. I think the one that I struggle with the most is this: When I pray, and I feel like I REALLY need an answer of some sort from God,
what does it mean if I don’t seem to get any answer? Am I just supposed to wait, or move on? I trust Him, no matter what, but there are times when He seems so silent, and I feel so needy!
Believing that it is even real. That I am even heard. I do pray and will continue to pray but believing in it for me is difficult.
I pray daily knowing I am involved in God’s plan. My issue is in not expecting. I pray with other women that anticipate God’s response.
OK my biggest struggle with prayer is that sometimes I am afraid if I ask for something I will get it. I know that sounds crazy but I am talking things like patience. Well, I know God can help you with that by giving you situations in order to practice patience. And I know that God has a sense of humor because I was very nervous about being called on in church to pray out loud, so I asked God to help me with that. Do you know what happened? I got called on every week for several weeks! Hahahahaha. It’s funny really. I mean what do I expect? That I will magically have patience or confidence in prayer or wisdom or whatever I pray for? Sometimes I am just a little nervous about how a prayer will be answered.
I sometimes feel as if I’m coming to God and praying for the wrong things. For example, I’d pray for God to help my husband to be a better listener or to help me out more around the house or with the girls, when I should be praying for patience, compassion and tolerance for myself! I never thought much of it til now, but I sound like I’m whining and complaining rather than thanking God for what he’s blessed me with and praising his name. I know that Rachel’s book will leave me enlightened. Thank you for the chance.
My struggle with prayer is trying to pray without sounding like I’m complaining. I want to praise God when I pray but when I actually do pray, I don’t include even the little things that I’m grateful for.
I really struggle with feeling like I have quality time with the Lord. I really want to grow closer and deeper in my relationship with Him but sometimes feel I am getting no where. I know a lot of people that seem to really be able to “bring the glory down” and I want to know how to get there. When I am older and it is my time to be a prayer warrior, I want to be a good one!
I was so encouraged to read all of the comments and the obvious love for the Lord and desire to communicate with Him. Even though He is ever with us through His Spirit, there is just something wonderful about coming before the presence of the Father Enough can’t be written about prayer. Volumes have already been written. Few of us have ever “arrived” in our prayer life, bold, confident, without doubting, consistent, persistent, in His will… I really appreciate the title you have chosen for your book – sensational scent – knowing what the sense of smell does to all of us. That’s why candles are so obviously successful. Our prayers, no matter how feeble or confident, are a sweet aroma to the Father. It pleases Him for us to pray and that is reason enough to come to Him We were created for His good pleasure. I love it when my children talk to me – even when I can’t give them all they desire – just to know they love me enough to talk to me!!!
I struggle with my mind wandering at times during prayer and also sometimes I seem so repetitive. I feel like God gets tired of hearing all my problems. I want to learn just to sit with him and enjoy his company in prayer..
I would say consistency is my biggest struggle but also public prayer. I know what is on my heart but speaking that in front of others is something I would love to overcome.
I struggle with not being worthy enough for God to even listen to my prayers. I fall short so often! Sometimes it is so hard to ask for anything when God has given me so much already. I also struggle with praying for everyone that I want to pray for. When someone comes to mind that I haven’t seen or talked to for a long time…I pray for them. I feel like God knows what they need and that I should ask Him to be with them.
What I struggle with most regarding prayer is distractibility! I start off strong in prayer, then realize that I am thinking about work or laundry or who knows what! My heart’s desire is to spend time with my Lord Jesus and focus on Him. Suggestions?
In grace and truth, Cheri
I make it a point to pray with my five year old son every night but fall short in my own prayer time!
My greatest struggle with prayer is my not taking the time out to do so. Even though I truly enjoy my time alone with my Father, I don’t make it the priority that I should. Also, I’m sure God gets tired of hearing the same topic of conversation from my end….over and over again!
I struggle with public prayer
My intentions are good when it comes to praying, but I get very distracted. I pray for someone and then my mind wanders to someone else. I do thank him for all the blessings he has given me. I talk to God all the time. My commute to work takes me 1 1/2 hours one way and I like to spend time just talking to him. It is my quiet time with him in the morning. Keeps me in control when the traffic is crazy.
I know that prayer is important for my relationship with the Lord. It is a real struggle for me to spend time in prayer. I will write down prayer requests and with good intentions want to pray regularly for them. It is a struggle for me. I recognize the need that I have to spend time in prayer so I am interested in this book. Thanks.
My problem is that I’m always questioning if He’s really listening…it seems like I get no answer or the exact opposite of the answer I prayed for…does He really hear me?
I had always thought God heard my prayers and answers them. In recent years I have heard much teaching that says prayer doesn’t change anything it only is to get my heart in tune with what God will do. Its been confusing to me. I’m anxious to read you’re book.
Staying focused on the prayer and not letting my mind wander to my grocery list or other mundane task, and praying for others on a consistent basis. I can pray when there is a known need, but just to keep them in mind and pray…even when there isn’t a known need.
My biggest struggle(s) are consistency and perseverance… for the long haul. I do OK in the beginning, but falter after a while. Same problem w/devotional time…….
I often struggle with praying out loud with others and finding the time to do it consistently. When I do manage to do it consistently…I forget all that I am suppose to pray for. I know that God hears what is in my heart but I know He would like to hear it come out of my mouth too!
Be blessed…many blessings all around….
Smiles and Blessings,
Robin
I don’t know if I’m to “do” something or be serene with how things are. I pray for the wisdom to know the difference.
My struggle with prayer is that my mind will wander and I lose my train of thought. Sometimes I find that my prayers are so similar each day; I long for more spontaneity and a time of silence where I listen to God.
Seems like I am always asking God for something: keep my children safe at school and during sports, help me make a friend, keep me away from un-necessary food or even silly things like: please send a cleaning fairy to my house. I desire to remember that prayer is also for thanksgiving/praise, 2-sided conversation and for quiet rest in Him.
I struggle with making uninterrupted time! I am a busy mom and it seems like every minute of my day is prone to interruptions!
I so want to be a woman of prayer and I do pray daily. But I struggle with slowing down and taking the time to enter my “prayer closet”. That is my biggest obstacle: slowing down and taking the time to form that relationship and when I do, I get soooo distracted. I look forward to the book.
Sounds like an inspiring read, Karen and Rachel!
When it comes to prayer, I struggle with knowing God’s heart. I’m scared to say I sense God is telling me “this” because maybe it is just me wanting it that way. I’ve made the comment many times that I wished the Lord would just hit me over the head with a sign that read, “I want you to do [blank].” I’m dense and have trouble discerning His will through prayer.
Hi Rachel, The book sounds great and I’m really excited to have the chance to win a copy but I’ll make sure to put it on my “to read” list just in case.
I’d say I’m a prayer girl, but the first thing I thought about in what I struggle with is feeling inadequate to pray for myself. I feel strong in praying for others but when it comes to myself often I’m thinking I’m just not praying exactly right. Sometimes I wonder if I’m praying for the wrong thing. You know that saying “be careful what you wish for”? I’d like to feel a little more peaceful when it comes to prayers for myself, and to feel it’s good to do so.
I’ve just come home from BSF. Read your email and intro to the new book. 2 WORDS jumped out at me – scent & prayer. I have immense problems on staying focused in prayer time. I’m told by others that I have an intense recall of memories associated with scents, smells, perfumes etc. So, an answer has come : I’m to pray while using a scented medium to help me stay focused and alert. I don’t know whether this is what the book is all about but, hey, if this works for me I’m happy for the light bulb moment. Thankyou and blessyou, Susan
Giving HIM my undivided attention when I pray is hard for me. With my Kiddos, family business, youth group kids, the house and so much more fighting for my attention, I don’t often set aside quiet time for just me and God. I pray while doing laundry and dishes, and sadly set my prayer aside on hold when the phone rings or one of my kids has a “need”. I need God to be the priority.
I don’t want Satan hearing them and using them to confuse me
I don’t pray for myself! I pray for everyone but myself. At my women’s small group I go around asking for prayer request which I write down to add to my prayer list. Last week one of the ladies ask me what I needed prayer for and I drew a blank face. Believe me, I have requests for myself but then I ask myself ” Am I bring selfish praying for my needs when I should be praying for others.”. My other would be “The prayer list is long, how can I pray for them all?”
I always imagined that God sees/(smells)/senses prayer like when I get home and the smell from the crock pot hits me as I open the door. Or like when I put cinnamon in a pot of water to boil on the stove. It just scents up the whole area. I try to have prayer on my trips to and from work. Today was a difficult ride home as I saw my ex-husband (2nd time since the divorce less than 1 yr ago) and realized how much it still hurt. I cried and prayed on the way home. I did hear a song on the radio that helped. It said how Jesus loved me. I can’t remember the words now but it sure was what I needed to hear in my grief. I had some other events happen that I had to put my grief aside and care for others. It hit me today that I need to finish grieving and move on in Jesus. I pray that we, as Christians, may we be that scent that He loves and may we be that to others.
I always thought prayer smells like when I arrive home and smell the good scents from my crockpot-that’s what God smells when we pray. That’s the picture in my head. I could be way off but it wouldn’t be the first time…lol. My prayer place is in the car when I’m alone on the way to and from work. I had to pray today when I saw my ex (2nd time in the past (almost) one year since the divorce). I was so thankful I had the radio on as a song was playing about Jesus loving us. I needed to hear that at that time. It also reminded me I need to put so much more time in to talking with Jesus my best friend. I pray we are like that good crockpot smell in the folks lives around us in which we are placed. God bless all of you.
Oooops, I didn’t think my first post went as I didn’t see it until after the other one-sorry but I don’t know where to delete it…
life is so busy, I find it difficult to find time to pray in earnest.
The last yea I have been slowly spiraling away from prayer and my Bible. I’ve strayed say from my precious Jesus. For me I. Felt like God forgot about me initially I cried out in prayer only to feel neglected by GOD. I somehow, slowly prayed less. In the last month I feel like I have hit rock bottom and ready to rebuild in my walk with God
The last yea I have been slowly spiraling away from prayer and my Bible. I’ve strayed say from my precious Jesus. For me I. Felt like God forgot about me initially I cried out in prayer only to feel neglected by GOD. I somehow, slowly prayed less. In the last month I feel like I have hit rock bottom and. Im ready to rebuild in my walk with God
I can’t wait to read her book on prayer.
If I have to come up with a smell for prayer I think it would be like beautiful flowers & love.
When I am asked to pray for others I can pray for them & leave my prayer with the Lord.
My struggle with prayer is praying for myself. After I have prayed for myself & my family. I can’t seem to leave it with the Lord. After a few hours or the next day I go back to the Lord asking Him all over again my same prayer. My husband tells me I let God have my prayer for a little while then I want to put it back on my shoulder to help God take care of it. I don’t know how to get away from doing this. I have seen the way God has answered my prayers in the pass. Many years ago the doctor told me I could never have a child. We shared it with the 5 couples in our Bible Study class. We prayed together for over a year for us to have a child. Everybody in our group knew I was going to have a baby befor I did. God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl. What a beautiful answer to prayer & I was never sick carring her.
I just can’t understand what is causing me to be like this now.
Please pray for me.
I think sometimes we’re afraid to be blunt and honest with God because we somehow rationalize that if we don’t *speak* it out, we aren’t really thinking it, or that we can in some way hide things from Him if we don’t address them in prayer. We deceive ourselves that we can hide from Him. Maybe we’re afraid He’ll tell us we don’t measure up to the standard we think He holds for us….are we afraid of rejection? of losing our salvation? of being harshly judged? We forget that He knows our innermost being even if we don’t speak out our thoughts and desires to Him; we also forget that He has plans for us that surpass our expectations and that being honest with Him is paramount to Him meeting us where we are. God is not part of today’s society.. His precepts and promises are eternal and everlasting. He isn’t a fleeting thing.
Everytime I try to get on my knees to pray, i fail, unless when i sit like on my bed or office, but still i will struggle to get the words out of my mouth, i find it easy to pray in my spirit and mind, and someimtes i find it hard to believe that God has heard my prayers exactly since i pray in my mind without uttering out the words, but after sometime i do find some words to utter out and when i do i feel like am really communicating then, but it doesn’t come easily. that is my main challenge when it comes to pray.
Thank you Racheal for this book on prayer. God bless you.
Kind Regards
Winnie
Hi, I used to and still do experience the same too. However, i want to encourage you that prayer is communicating with God and the meditations of our hearts are also prayers. If you take stock, the more you exercise these this form of praying the more confident you will get to let the words out of your mouth. Another advantage of this form of praying is that it encourages one to listen to what God is saying which is the two-way comms most people miss. I encourage you to keep praying and experience the joy of being in His presence…God bless!
In a busy life as a mom, it’s very hard to find quality alone time to ‘concentrate’! And throughout the day’s activities, having an attitude of constant prayer through whatever i’m doing certainly doesn’t come easy!
I struggle with turning off all the millions of things going through my mind and focusing just on prayer. I start to pray and things constantly pop into my mind and it is hard to focus. I’ve heard people say “Have a notebook and write down those things, things you are afraid you’ll forget so you can stop thinking about them” great idea but it doesn’t stop the other thoughts from
popping in my mind! It is like Satan is sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear!!
What I struggle with when I pray is making sure I don’t make a habit of saying the same prayer, over and over again – because then I start to lose the heart in the prayer. (this is especialyl true for prayers before meals too!)
Wow, where do I begin??? Honestly I struggle that “I” make it a one way conversation. I struggle that being a working mom, with lack of focus, makes it a rushed conversation with lots of requests for my friends and myself. I struggle with getting stuck in the details of life, events, overall duties and forget that He is the first place where I should go. I struggle that God is so good to me and I return the “favor” by trying to fit Him into my life instead of my life fitting around Him and about Him. I would love to have a more intimate prayer life with Him….I need to have a more intimate prayer life or I can’t continue to survive!!!! My plea is that my life of prayer will become one of a sweet scent to Him! Thank you for being obedient to His prompting and writing this book.
My Mom is one of the most kind-hearted, generous and humble people that I know. She is struggling right now to figure out how God wants to use her in the church and knows she needs to spend time listening for God in prayer. I think she would really appreciate this book and I would love to be able to encourage her in this way on Mother’s day.
I struggle with shutting off all of the thoughts running around inside of my head long enough to really get in touch with God and concentrate on what I really want to pray about. I pray but my mind is racing to the next thing. I know this isn’t the right way but I can’t seem to get there. I am working on it and getting better but still have a long way to go!
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Prayer is waiting …… believing …… trusting His promises …… in His timing.
I have almost given up praying because of discouragement and waiting for that miracle from God. One more time, His word is encouraging me to keep praying and keep waiting ….. present tense.
I struggle with continual prayer on a subject cause I feel God already knows it but I do know He doesn’t want us to give up.
This blog post really hit home not only because of the topic of prayer, but also because of the story of Hannah and God’s timing. I find it’s so much easier to pray for other people than for myself many times. I am in a situation right now where I have been waiting over 3 years for an answer but still haven’t gotten one. But I do my best to pour my heart out to God and to rest in His overwhelming love for me, despite not having an answer. I would LOVE to read this book!
Blessings!
I’m so thankful this post was left up an additional day. Yesterday was a busy day at work with a late meeting last night also so I didn’t get to check my emails. I agree with many of the comments above. My normal prayer time is in the shower also. Seems like that is the only “quiet” time I can have each day to really give God my full attention. Would love to read the book and do the study!!!! Thanks for sharing:)
My struggle with prayer is two things. Getting the time to do it and dealing with the things that I feel are not getting answered that are really important. There are several times that God has answered my prayers and I know he is listening, because I do see him working in areas of my life, but there are some things I really need answers to and I am not getting it. I will always praise him for all he does for me, which is so very much, and keeping me standing up each and every day. I would not be where I am if it weren’t for his gentle, guiding hand. Love and praises to the Lord!
I got chills when I saw the title of Rachel’s book “The Sensational Scent of Prayer” because I am also in a Beth Moore Bible Study (A Woman’s Heart, God’s Dwelling Place) which is a study of the tabernacle, and we are currently on the chapter about the Alter of Incense (golden altar of fragrance). I love the thought that our prayers are a sweet, wonderful fragrance to the Lord and that Jesus is our intercessor for our prayers to our heavenly Father!!! My biggest problem with prayer is remembering to HUSH and listen to Him. I tell him my problems, my needs, prayers on behalf of others, even my wants, but I don’t just stop and give Him time to speak back to me. I am trying to concentrate on that more.
What i most struggle with when it comes to prayer is actually getting to pray when i’m going through a difficult or painful season in life. I have a melanchonic personality and its so difficult to move on worse still approach God when i know my heart is just not right even though i know He says we should approach His throne with confidence. I know i’m not perfect though i have tendencies to want things going in that direction. Moreso i even fall short coz of the “want to be perfect goals” i set for myself.
.I dont like faking it especially when it comes to God then feel horrible when i dont pray coz i know and have experienced that He is a God who answers…its such a vicious circle. I really want to overcome this and experience the joy of serving and communing with God through prayer. All the guidellines would be greatly appreciated…
I am a “continuous” pray-er, so my difficulty seems to be when I have my “quiet time”, I study His beautiful Word – and go over my prayer list, but have a hard time focusing on the list as I feel I pray for the specifics throughout the day. I really feel like I don’t reap the blessings of totally listening for His answers. Looking forward to reading your book for some “help” in this area.
A couple of years ago a good friend and neighbor told me about Proverbs 31 Ministries. I signed up that day and have been a fan ever since. From the first message I read, I decided I wanted to be a “Jesus girl”. That term was used and I heard it for the first time. I pray for that frequently–to be a Jesus girl. I struggle every day with prayer. I pray more now than I ever have in my life. I am afraid of coming across as needy and incompetent when I pray. But I need Jesus in my life. I don’t want my prayers to be repeats of the last one and that is hard for me. I pour my heart out. I struggle with wondering if I’m using the right language. I want each prayer to bring me closer to my Savior so that not only does He know me but I know Him better with each passing day. That’s what I need for my prayers to do.
for me sometimes I struggle with only pleading for the things that concern me or my family and sometimes forget about others. I get too caught up in myself. I signed up to pray for a prison ministry and really felt I had been with the LORD as I was praying for someone other than myself! It was such an awesome time to pray for the workers and the inmates that God would do a work in their midst. It was great!
My biggest struggle? It has to be LISTENING to God, not just chucking a whole load of thoughts and asks and queries at Him.
I struggle to understand why, if we are to become as little children, and God says in Jeremiah 33, to ask and He will tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know – why is it so hard sometimes to understand when God is silent on some prayers, especially when I pray that if the answer to a question is no, I ask God to give peace in the matter but peace doesn’t come? He promises to give the peace that passes all understanding, but when?
I struggle with taking the time to be quiet and still. My mind also always seems to wonder to all the other thing that must be done.
Praise God I don’t struggle with the fact that God’s will may be different than what I pray about (it typically is) or with prayers not being answered (they usually are just not in the way I expected or hoped for). In fact coming from a religion where prayers were recited in a language I did not understand to a “god” who did not exist, praying to a God who actually responds, who is concerned with everything I have to say/I feel, and has a purpose and plan for my life was such a breakthrough for me.
But that’s unfortunately been a hindrance too; you see I wasn’t used to talking personally to God so that has been somewhat of an awkward process for me-to be able to talk to Him as a friend, as my Father. I’ve come a long way but even now I find it easier to pray for/with people and to write my prayers in my journal than I do talking to God one-on-one, just Him and me. He is working on me concerning that though praise God!
I absolutely love the story of Hannah-having been told I couldn’t have children at an early age and then being blessed with two beautiful children in the last 3 years, I have been able to relate to her. Look forward to reading how you used her incredible story to encourage His people in prayer. Bless you Sister.
I struggle with being consistent and intentional in my prayers and prayer time. I hesitate to pray for “frivolous” things for myself. The big, “serious” things seem to be easier to pray for, but harder to wait for answers.
Oh I wish I had time to read all the comments. I could so agree with the majority of them. Inconsistency in my prayer time I would say is one of my biggest hinderance. My mind drifts off to other tasks that need my attention, things I need to remind my family, etc. I lose my train of thought and I feel scattered and then I beat myself up about it. I am also so very guilty of limiting God – my problems are too small for Him, He doesn’t have time for me and my sillyness, etc. Also, I am so afraid of not hearing His voice that I think I have become so focused on Him not speaking to me that I have probably missed His tiny whispers. (then more beating myself up). Also, I think this is so crazy but it is how my mind works & would like to know others thoughts on this – I have had a pretty easy, stable life. A wonderful husband, two great kids, steady jobs, family near by, etc. I had a very normal childhood. When I hear of all the troubles others have experienced and the difficulties in their life, I wonder if my faith is not strong enough, does God know I couldn’t handle it, and I start with all these doubts about my faith and even my salvation. I know God loves me and I know if I die today, I have eternal life in Jesus yet these doubts start arising because my life is easy. I have struggles but in reality compared to others they are relatively minor. I should not be doubting but praising the Lord for His goodness. Not sure what is wrong with me that causes this – can anyone relate??
This book sounds great! I struggle with both being patient for an answer and also leaving it with God. So often I will pray for Him to take my burdens but I end up “taking” them back by worrying about them again. I struggle with patience when it comes to having prayed for something for years and years without getting the answer I want (eg, a person’s salvation).
I struggle with focus, I start talking and then I get tired or the baby starts crying and then I put God on hold and seemingly never come back. It’s only when I grab my journal and truly focus that I get a true deep meaningful prayer in. Every morning I start with prayer before I get out of bed but some mornings those are desperate, God I HAVE to get moving, I have to get to work, the baby needs a diaper change, I have to get my big girl to grab her clothes and boogie out the door to Nana’s house, HELP! I’m so thankful when my husband recognizes the struggle and pins me down to truly take time in His presence and get refocused on what really matters.
I struggle with time mostly – do I stick with my prayer list or do I just tell God about what I’m thinking? If I do either one, by the time I get done my time is all gone. I set aside 15 minutes at the beginning of each day, but it doesn’t seem to be enough time. I usually pray for at least 20 minutes, but I still haven’t gotten to talk and listen and tell him what all is on my heart.
I struggle with asking. I pray and I know that God knows what is in my heart.. I am not the person who asks over and over so I get confused when I pray. I usually end up with “God, you know what is in my heart.” I also thank God for everything in my life. With so much unknown in my life at this moment, my idea of prayer would be to just crawl into his lap and have him hold me while I close my eyes and rest.
I struggeled with prayer when i was a new beliver and i struggle with praying when im angry or hurt or worried i just wont pray then, one time in my life i dont think i understood prayer until i went to something called the wow jam and they needed people to pray over people. at first when i was there i was lost i asked the pastor to pray over me and i was then able to pray over others, now i just crave prayer when someones hurting i can actully feel there hurt when someones angry i can actully feel there anger when someone crys i cry too, i feel a tug at my heart when people need prayer litterly feel God grabbing my heart to pray for that person, i love to pray for people now its my passion i love to see God work in them
I think learning to trust that His answer may not look like I imagined.
Love that! SO true!
I struggle with asking God for the big things, and it all comes down to lack of faith. Kind of like, I believe God and that He can and does all things, but if I ask Him for something big and He doesn’t answer in how I am expecting, then does He really care about me? And being a grandmother (around the block a time or two), I feel I should have this all figured out by now. Blessings on your book. It is one that Know I will be purchasing.
I absolutely love Hannah’s story. It has always been one of my favorite scriptures. I have always looked at it in a different perspective though. What more loving thing could we do as mothers than give them ( our children ) back to God. Whether here on earth like Hannah or in heaven like my husband and I had to do with our twin daughters recently. Many years after Hannah’s message pierced my heart. I am so excited to be able to study Hannah and her story in a different light.
I know that prayer is important. I usually prayer on my way into work. It has been heavily on my heart to actually put aside “quiet time” every morning to prayer and read the bible, but I just haven’t done it yet. Also, sometimes I find myself deliberatly not praying, justifying it with the “God knows everything, why do I need to pray?” attitude. I’m not sure why I get so onery! Really looking forward to reading this book.
My struggle is remembering all the things and people I want to pray about, I always add for God to see my heart and know all those I missed!
I sometimes feel like I don’t spend enough time in prayer. But then I’m constantly talking to the Lord while driving. My words aren’t that eloquent, but I know He’s listening. I’m trying to learn to get my spirit in step with His Spirit. I’m still learning to hear His gentle whispers when He answers me.
I felt when I was a working mom, I didn’t have the time it took to pray…the “right way.”. I have learned, mostly because I began staying home about 3 1/2 years ago that everyone’s prayer looks different. My prayers are often an open dialog with God through the day. He is my strength, my go-to when I’m having a bad day, the first I call on when my friends need me, my sanity.
My kids are 6, 5, 3, and 1…so I definitly don’t go a day without prayer. I’m also on our MOPS leadership team, there is always someone I’m praying for. There are a lot of other moms our there that I’m in constant contact with that always need prayer.
I will also say real quick that before our first baby was born, we felt like that day would never come. I didn’t wait as long as Hannah, but it was a couple of years and then it was a miscarriage. But, looking back, you have to see God’s timing in it all. He knows the plans he has for me.
I struggle with being consistent and going deep in my prayers. I do the quick ‘Help me, Lord” kind of prayers, but struggle with really turning my life over to Him and listening to His will for my life.
I can’t wait to read the book! I know God can do anything He wants. I know He loves me. I know that His will is the very best for us. I know all of these things in my head and my heart. This is where there is a but or a however, I have so much trouble waiting on His time. I have to really struggle with keeping on bringing my needs and desires to God when I don’t get an answer fairly soon. God is faith ,and I know that because ,He is still teaching me that His timing is perfect and He has been doing that for 3 years and 7 months now on a really important matter that involes my whole family.
i am just sitting here reading (and re-reading) through all these beautiful ladies thoughts, comments, struggles, fears, blessings, concerns saying, ‘yes!’ ‘uh-huh!’ ‘oh! i know!’ as well as ‘please, Father, bless this girl of yours!’ ‘thank You, God, for hearing & answering her prayers!’
so….thank you, rachel, it appears you have struck a chord in the hearts of our sisters-in-Christ! may God do with us now as He pleases. <3
Thanks for this opportunity to read this sensational looking and sounding book! Many of the things said in your article above really ring true with me! I would definitely agree that when we can really take the time to dig in and pray, it can be so enjoyable to just rest and spend that time with our Lord! One thing that I really struggle with is that I sometimes think my prayers for others sound the same…. I try to pray specifically for issues I know they are having, but to be honest, I get a little bored with my prayers, and I wonder how God doesn’t too! I would love to learn how to make prayer time more exciting and enjoyable and worshipful for me and God!
I find time to pray the short prayers but still do not sit and be still and listen….what does He want me to do…where am I to go…who or where am I suppose to serve…Still a work in progress
My prayers are mostly gratitude. In the busyness of life I often forget to take every problem/situation to God. Every thing big or small is something to be shared in prayer and I forget that. I often try to figure things out myself first instead of looking to my Heavenly Father first.
My struggle with prayer is praying and telling God I truly want to do His will – and then being afraid it will “hurt”. An example to show what I mean, “As a cancer survivor will He again ask me to go through cancer for His purpose.” I do so want to be a positive influence for His kingdom . . .
I struggle with content what is important to pray for and what it petty. How do I express gratitude so that it sound sincere. I wonder if praying allowed and praying in your heart are the same.
Where do I struggle? Where do I not struggle? I don’t slow down often enough to properly acknowledge God working. I can’t (or don’t) focus well enough — constant distractions, often my own. I don’t model real prayers for my kids. I don’t think I even know how to really pray. In times of trouble, my heart groans and I hope God hears those deep felt cries. In regular times, I’m mostly just lost and float along without praying.
I struggle with allowing the quiet time in my prayer life to let God talk to me. To “Be Still and Know That He is GOD!! I am working on spending more time praising and worshipping the awesomeness of Him!!
I struggle with not making it another thing on my to do list. Also, trying not to make it a listing of what I need and want, rather than a worship/praise/conversation.
I have to admit that my prayer life needs revamping badly! I don’t seem to be able to keep myself focused on what I want to pray about, and also I struggle with the idea of whether or not our prayers make any difference to God if He already knows how everything is going to turn out in each situation. I would love to read this e-book as a help to enriching my prayer life.
I have a hard time of making it a daily habit. I find myself being distracted. When I finish praying I find it very hard to be still and listen to God. I am not good at silence.
I often feel that my prayers are sort of rote because I keep asking for many of the same things that I believe need God’s continual help, such as various protections for family and friends when traveling or engaged in various activities and in general on a daily basis. Also, I keep praying that specific non-believers will accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Praise God that he has transformed some of those lives. The Bible does tell us to persevere in prayer, but I hope God isn’t bored with my repeated requests. I do add new ones too.
Also, I struggle with trying to be quiet and listen to what God might be trying to say to me. My mind starts to wander, and I have trouble concentrating in silence.
I have read about several different “formulas” for prayer, acronyms like P.R.A.I.S.E. in which each letter represents a portion of a prayer and puts one’s prayers in order. I feel like when I don’t necessarily follow this that I’ve left something out or have done it “incorrectly.” When I try to write my prayers out, they often become too lengthy. Basically, I believe I make the entire process/concept of prayer way too complicated. I look forward to reading this book whether I win or buy it. I love Hannah’s story, and my son’s name (Samuel) was chosen because of it.
this sounds like an interesting view on prayer. i would love to read it to expand my prayers life.
My biggest struggle with prayer is having consistent time praying. I pray during the day but to set aside time and pray is hard for me
Oh how I struggle with not feeling full or satisified during and after prayer. I think that I am giving Him my best but the 3 kids under 5 struggle to not interrupt, my coffee hasn’t really taken hold yet and I am wandering through my “quiet” time almost aimlessly wondering if I am doing enough… Reading and praying the “right” things, worrying that the effort isn’t enough to cover the multitude of sin I have incurred with being tired and short tempered with the kids and almost dreading being done with the prayer time because I know that I am about 30 seconds away from being annoyed with those kids. Obviously I know that I cannot do a thing to cover my sin, that debt has already been paid, but I struggle to know if this faithful attempt to walk in Grace will really make a difference in my day to day parenting. I struggle to really feel filled, covered, holy and acceptable. In my heart I know it, but in my daily walk I wonder.
I struggle with praying on a regular basis. I find myself getting “busy” and forgetting to talk to my Heavenly Father. I let other things get in my way and take up my time.
I can think of a hundred things to pray about during the busy day, and then when things settle down, I can remember a few but the words don`t come easy. I think it has to be formal or something. And I too, wonder if God is going to do His will, then why do we pray? If I would remember to pray then and there when something enters my thoughts, maybe that would help. But then there`s all the interruptions…. I think your book would answer some questions in my muddled mind!
I struggle with keeping my mind focused on what I am sharing with Jesus. So often it tends to wander to my day ahead or the person I am praying for. I will take the time today to think about how prayer smells. I have never thought about prayer that way.
Sometimes I struggle with how to word my prayer! I always feel as though I need to pray in detail when praying for a sign from God! I never want to be waiting on a prayer to be answered and accidentally miss my answer from Him. I worry about not noticing His answer for me because, out of experience, I have prayed for Him to show a sign about something and when I get a sign of some sort but it’s not 100% certain, I always test to make sure that it’s not the Devil just trying to trip me up…am I right in doing that? I know that God knows that I worry about missing His signs when I ask for one and so therefore, if I think he’s trying to show me it then I always ask for Him to send of reassurance to where I can’t mistake it being Him.
to be more committed to prayer time, although I do pray as I walk to work and throughout the day I pray as people, situations come to mind or someone calls. Would love to see your new book but don’t know a whole bunch about the ebooks. I can relate to many of the comments. ie, to the lady who says she prays for someone right then & there (parking lot), I would forget so better to do it then! I believe He has put this upon my heart. It is my desire to come into a deeper worship! Happy Happy Happy Day to you!
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