Talking to God when it’s hard & you don’t really want to pray

Written By Rachel Ann

Spoiler alert: being a Christian doesn’t mean that you always want to talk to God, be holy, and easily forgive people. I wish that were the case, but it’s not and I think that’s one reason why being close to God is so helpful - He gives us the gift of His presence through it all! Instead of going to that stressful work meeting alone, you’re actually going with the Holy Spirit that lives inside you. Instead of advocating for justice alone, you’re protesting and fighting with our God right by your side, who hears the cries of His people and responds. Instead of struggling with any sin alone, you have the power to invite God into your fight and see how He edifies you.

And even knowing those lovely things, going to God can still be hard - worried you'll feel shame, even though you know He's not like that, or even knowing He'll correct you lovingly, but you don't wanna give that thing up just yet. Sorry to be up in your business, but I'm speaking from experience and I promised you that I keep it real here. ;)

So allow me to share a few ways to deal with that - how to want to spend time with God when you know you should want to, but you actually don't:

Get real with yourself

The more you lie to yourself, the faker your prayers will be and the more annoyed you'll end up feeling at every “amen”. Yes, we should approach God with thanksgiving but it can be hard to. David is a great example of going to God when it’s hard, and still finding ways to share gratitude in the midst of suffering. It’s not a “or” situation, it’s an “and” situation - you can wrestle with God and thank Him; you can be mad about a situation you’re dealing with and ask Him to intervene.

Take a moment to acknowledge that it's hard and ask yourself why - what are you afraid of? Why do you think it'll be a waste of time?

Get real with God

Once you're real with yourself, then you can present your real, raw self to God. And that's what He wants! One of my favorite things about God is that He’s not afraid of our emotions. A lot of times, He uses our emotions to point out something that we need to tune into or shed light on something He wants us to notice. He doesn't want the polished version, He wants your emotions and thoughts that you think will make Him mad. Because then He can do something about it.

And another spoiler alert…He already knows what's going on so there's no use in wearing the mask with Him anyways.

Ask a friend to pray for you

Girl, I am here, alive, and well because of the prayers of people around me. Not my own prayers, but those of my community who I lean on and tell them when I need prayer. You are not a burden when you ask for support from people who care about you. And lemme just say this - it takes courage to be honest with yourself that you need help and vulnerability to open up and be fully transparent with your friend about it. Yes that’s hard, but it’s so worth it. (Joshua 1:9 and Galatians 6:2 are some verses to help you with this!)

Never underestimate the power of your friends prayers for you. They'll likely wanna pray for you because they want to support you - and if they don't, then ditch 'em.

Set the scene

Sometimes it's hard to hear from God because we're not in a place to hear Him. Take time to quiet your atmosphere with lofi or instrumentals music, some breathing exercises, and get some tears out. By setting atmosphere, you'll feel more at ease and expectant to meet with Him. Sometimes devotional time is mind-blowing, while other times it's a quick, “regular” time. Allow each time with God to be what it needs to be.

Is this easy? Nope. But is it necessary for your spiritual, emotional, and overall wellness? Yes. So don't worry, I won't leave you hanging to figure it out alone. Below are some resources to help get the wheels turning. ☺️

I'm praying that you find the mustard seed of energy to have some time with God today. That's all you need, God will do the rest!

Need more support? Lemme help you sis:

Rachel Ann
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