Discover a Surprising Reason Why You Might Find it Hard to Pray Consistently

When I was a kid I complained rather frequently about being bored. What can I say? I was an only child with no siblings to entertain (or annoy) me. My mom finally got so exasperated that she said, “If you tell me you’re bored again, I’ll give you something to do–and you won’t like it.” Something about her tone communicated that she spoke the truth and I never complained about boredom to her again.

Maybe you’ve felt the affliction of this particular problem in your prayer life. I know I have. Much like the rest of my life, I’m a creature of habit, and my prayers frequently fall into the same old patterns and requests and even I get bored hearing my voice repeating the same problems, issues, and petitions over and over to God.

It’s here that I readily acknowledge that the issue isn’t with God, it’s with me. God is not boring, but I’m human and I get bored–even in prayer…

“God is not boring, but I’m human and I get bored–even in prayer.”

…The main reason I got bored praying. My prayers (just like my Bible reading) was all about me. Sure, I sprinkled the occasional request for someone else in there, but most of the time it was about me. My needs, my desires, my dreams. Me, me, me, me, me. (At this point that old Toby Keith song I Wanna Talk About Me is on repeat in my brain–send help.)

When I started reading the Bible to learn what God was like instead of trying to find something that made me feel good or I could post on Instagram, I started to see a completely different path opening before me. One would think that reading the Bible and searching for how it affects you would be the most motivating way to read, but strangely it wasn’t. When I began reading to learn about God, what he’s like, how he responds and reacts, it became a feast of fresh discovery with every reading. There’s always something new to learn about God. He’s completely fascinating. And the more I learned about him, the more I wanted to learn…

…When I started reading the Bible and believing it, applying it, and treating it like it wasn’t just a nice book written for people in the past (or other people that I deemed more holy), my prayers came to life. I found boredom slipping further and further into my past and a brand new world of connection with God blooming in front of me.

Finally capturing the power and wonder contained in the Bible not only awakened a passion for God’s Word but also for praying.

This was just a small sample from my new book: Praying is (not) Hard: Finally Let Go of the Baggage that Keeps You From Talking With God. The book addresses seven things that might be subtly sabotaging your conversations with God and how you can overcome them. You don’t have to be doomed to an inconsistent (or nonexistent) prayer life! You can find joy and freedom in prayer!