Have you ever been so frustrated- whether with a situation, with yourself, or with your own emotions- that you didn't want to pray? Sometimes, we get mad at God because of our circumstances. Sometimes, we don't know what to say. And sometimes, honestly, we just don't want to talk to God. We would rather wallow in self-pity, hurt, or our bad attitude.
It happens. Every Christian goes through that at some point. It doesn't mean it's right, but it does mean that all of us have been there and can point each other back in the right direction.
So if you are at a point in your life when you avoid praying like the plague, because, #crappyattitude, then here are 10 verses that will encourage you to get back on track and give you the proper motivation to do so.
- No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)
- But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
- The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
- I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. (Proverbs 8:17)
- Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:2-5)
- Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)
- In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:9-11)
- I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31:3)
- Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
- See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. (Hebrews 12:15)
I included that last verse because that is what we want to avoid: that root of bitterness. When we are mad at God or avoid Him (or both), we will develop a root of bitterness. That root is obtrusive, destructive, and hard to get rid of once it is there.
The rest of the 10 verses are ones that should motivate the Christian to pray. They are all about God's love, God's grace, and why we should be thankful. Thankfulness to God is something that we must cultivate as Christians. It is important anyway, but is especially important when we need encouragement to pray.
If we are really thankful for all that God has done, we will go to Him in prayer regardless of how we are feeling, because we know how great, mighty, and awesome He is.
I know how it feels to not want to pray- I am struggling through that right now actually. But God is so good. He isn't just good when we are happy with Him, or when He does exactly what we want Him to. No, He's good all the time.
Let us always strive to spend time with Him, grow in Him, and obey Him no matter how we happen to be feeling.