Are you struggling to pray? If you are, you are not alone. All of us have struggled to pray at one point or another in our lives.

You might go through seasons where you are in prayer every day, and then go through seasons where you can’t remember the last time you talked to God.

If you are feeling distant from Jesus, don’t lose heart. He is one prayer away.

If you find that you struggle to pray, here are 4 ideas to kickstart your prayer life again.

1. Reflect on Who God is

Have you experienced a “mountain” top experience with Jesus? Everything in your life was going great, you were close to God and felt his presence close to you.

Take a moment to remember how you felt on the mountain. Remember who God was for you, and how tangible his love was.

That is the same God who is with you today. Our circumstances may change, but he never does.

He is the God of the mountain and the God of the valley. Meaning he is the same God in our good times as well as our bad times.

Reflect on who he is as you pray, not just your circumstances or what you want him to do.

2. Create a Discipline/Habit of Prayer

Life is extremely hectic for most of us. If you have gotten out of the habit of praying, it’s never too late to start. What will start as a habit, will grow into a need.

The more often you pray, the more you will find yourself needing that time of prayer.

Start simple, and keep it at the same time every day.

Right when you wake up, before you go to bed, driving to work– whenever just choose a time and commit to prayer.

I like to start or end my day with prayer and reading a passage in Psalms!

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 5:16

3. Stay Consistent in Prayer When Nothing Happens

I want to encourage you that if even if you feel like your prayers aren’t being heard, know that they are.

If you feel like Jesus could never love you– know that He does. If you are angry at God, know that he loves you and wants you to come to him anyway.

Don’t give up on prayer just because “nothing happened” the first day, week, or month you started praying. Elijah prayed for 7 years that it would rain. (1st Kings 1)

Keep praying, keep showing up, Jesus will reveal himself to you in his perfect timing.

And don’t listen to the lie that your prayers aren’t being heard.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

4. Reflect on Why You Are Struggling to Pray?

Maybe you have a hard time praying because you are distant from God. Your relationship with Jesus isn’t where it used to be, and you aren’t quite sure how to come back to him.

That’s okay–he welcomes you right where you are at!

Or maybe you are mad at God. Maybe your anger is putting a wedge between you and your relationship with him. I’d like to invite you to tell him how you feel, but then choose to trust him.

Find out why you are struggling to talk with God, and allow him to work on your heart. This will be key to reconnecting with God.

He is only a prayer away 🙂