I Need a Prayer Therapist

I’m fairly confident my weakest link as a Christian is that I don’t pray very well.

And as a result, I don’t pray often enough.

Or is it the other way around?

Regardless, I know I need prayer guidance.

Praying usually feels… well, awkward.

I want to pray, but I don’t know what to say.

I want to pray, but I get easily interrupted.

I want to pray, but I feel some of my previous prayers have been ignored by God.

Do you ever feel the same way?

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To confirm my suspicion, I decided to take a look at the categories of my blog posts since starting the Full Time Christianity blog the Day after Easter 2012.

Here are the totals by category (with a link to the posts in each category):

1. Occupy Your Time in the Word (13)

2. Be Led by the Holy Spirit (12) / Deny Yourself (5)

3. Ground Your Faith (9)

4. Occupy Your Time in Fellowship (8)

5. Occupy Your Time in Prayer (4)

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Sure enough… the topic I have shared the least about to date has been prayer.

So it is indeed time to see a prayer therapist!

The term “prayer therapist” is found in the book A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller.

(My kind thanks to blog contributor Pat Parris for recommending this timely resource)

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I’m just now starting to read this book, but the following insight from the author jumped out at me:

“Oddly enough, many people struggle to learn how to pray because they are focusing on praying, not on God.

Making prayer the center is like making conversation the center of a family mealtime.

In prayer, focusing on the conversation is like trying to drive while looking at the windshield instead of through it.

It freezes us, making us unsure of where to go.  Conversation is only the vehicle through which we experience one another.”

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I have indeed been focusing on the prayer, not on God.

In the next handful of blog posts, I will stay on the theme of prayer and share my own experiences and insights.

Any feedback or questions you have are greatly appreciated.

May we all find comfort in Psalm 55: 16-17:

As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.
Evening, morning and noon
    I cry out in distress,
    and he hears my voice.

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What recommendations or questions do you have about praying?

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Related posts:

The Family Dinner Prayer Rule How I Overcame My Fear of Praying Out Loud I’m Praying for You. Really. Do We Pray Better than a Fifth Grader?