I'm afraid to pray. :( What should I do??

Just so you know God loves simplicity and clarity in prayer and He loves you more than you can begin to know, there is scripture to support this. And He absolutely loves to hear from us and understands our frailty . We have the Holy Spirit who corrects our words that get to God when we fumble for the words. In fact scripture says when we are so hurt we don't even know what to pray He prays for us. So just pray !

@Animelover93, see The Church & Mental Illness...

I have lost many things and God helped me find them so sometimes I think that I am maybe overusing the "ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find" promise. But putting faith in God's promises is what we are supposed to do. So try to overuse the promises. Because faith being used is what pleases God.

Come boldly to the throne of grace and find mercy to help to obtain in time of need.

If you were asking a best friend, all your questions would be accepted, because you are accepted.

Jesus wants to be your best friend.

He wants you to know that you are totally accepted.

Kneel down and ask Him with your whole heart to come in and take over your life (if you haven't already)

No question will be rejected.

In a universe with around 700 quintillion planets in it, He STILL thought to create you.

From before the big bang, right through to the formation of the solar system, to the age of the dinosaurs, all the way to the point of Jesus' crucifixion (and beyond) - He STILL thought of you. Through ALL of those major/historical events.

You ARE important.
You ARE valued.
Your prayers are never trivial.
He WANTS to hear from you.
He created you for a reason.
And - to put you at ease, we were all taught from pretty much the minute we walked into a church for the first time to do exactly as you're doing now. God sweats the small stuff so that we don't have to.

Animelover93 said:

Trigger Warning: Mention of self harm


I'm absolutely terrified to pray because I'm afraid God won't answer it due to my prayer being too silly. I'm also afraid that I'm just using God as a genie to answer my every "wish". But that's not what I'm trying to do, but I'm afraid he will take it that way and not even bother to listen to my prayer.
For example: I lost my hairbrush, so I thought about praying for God to find it for me. But I'm afraid that's too "silly" of a prayer for God to answer, therefore my anxiety acts up, and I'm afraid he will think I'm just using him as a genie. So in response to that, I punish myself by using physical and/or verbal abuse. I'm just so afraid he will think I'm using him or he will think my prayer isn't good enough. In all honesty, I do pray for silly things a lot. Like if I misplace my lipstick or something, I'll pray for God to help me find it. Or if I'm in the kitchen and am out of parmasean cheese, I'll pray that God will find me some or something to replace it. Just simple things like that. For example "God please help me fix my eyeshadow evenly" "God please help my headache" or "God please make my boyfriend call me". Things that shouldn't really matter to our creator. I mean, he has more important prayers to answer than that. I could be praying for something else. And besides, not everything is about me, right? Other people are more important than what I am. Why would he want to answer something as stupid as the parmasesan cheese, which I know I'm not spelling correctly. Why would he want to answer anything I pray for? I just want to pray without worrying that I'm upsetting him or anything like that. What should I do?? Are my prayers too silly? Am I just using God for my own personal gain? I don't want to be that way I just want him to like me. I know he loves everyone, but what about like? Does he like us?

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Dear sister,
You need to understand that God doesn’t give a spirit of fear. If you are afraid about many things that you pray for ! You need to resist the spirit of fear in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

We must understand that in love God predestines us for adoption as children of God through Christ Jesus, as we have heard in Ephesians 1:5.

Remember that God knew how many hairs that we have. If God is concerned with what we consider little things, it would be all right to ask about little things, too.

But let not your prayer only on little things — you need to consider to pray what is according to His will.

God bless you !

Animelover93 said:

Trigger Warning: Mention of self harm


I'm absolutely terrified to pray because I'm afraid God won't answer it due to my prayer being too silly. I'm also afraid that I'm just using God as a genie to answer my every "wish". But that's not what I'm trying to do, but I'm afraid he will take it that way and not even bother to listen to my prayer.
For example: I lost my hairbrush, so I thought about praying for God to find it for me. But I'm afraid that's too "silly" of a prayer for God to answer, therefore my anxiety acts up, and I'm afraid he will think I'm just using him as a genie.

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Mormons try to tell members not to bother God. I prayed about the weather one time and a Mormon told me that he had never heard of doing that! But I'm telling you that God doesn't mind. I've prayed about things I can't find then left the timing up to God and I just run across whatever I was looking for when I stopped looking.

Animelover93 said:

So in response to that, I punish myself by using physical and/or verbal abuse. I'm just so afraid he will think I'm using him or he will think my prayer isn't good enough. In all honesty, I do pray for silly things a lot. Like if I misplace my lipstick or something, I'll pray for God to help me find it. Or if I'm in the kitchen and am out of parmasean cheese, I'll pray that God will find me some or something to replace it. Just simple things like that. For example "God please help me fix my eyeshadow evenly" "God please help my headache" or "God please make my boyfriend call me". Things that shouldn't really matter to our creator. I mean, he has more important prayers to answer than that. I could be praying for something else. And besides, not everything is about me, right? Other people are more important than what I am. Why would he want to answer something as stupid as the parmasesan cheese, which I know I'm not spelling correctly. Why would he want to answer anything I pray for? I just want to pray without worrying that I'm upsetting him or anything like that. What should I do?? Are my prayers too silly? Am I just using God for my own personal gain? I don't want to be that way I just want him to like me. I know he loves everyone, but what about like? Does he like us?

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God knows that none of us are perfect. When I watch movies or the news I notice every little thing that I think was said wrong! It's okay! God cares about you! He's not criticizing you like a demanding boss. Remember He's a loving parent, even if your earthly parents were/are demanding.

"Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." (1 John 4:18, NLT)

One of the primary messages highlighted in the New Testament is the Fatherhood of God: that when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are adopted to the household of God, and given the status of the Son of God, and co-heirs with Christ to the Kingdom.

This should be the basis of our relationship with God: he is our stern and loving father, we are his frequently disobedient children in need of his guidance and discipline.

I don't know what your relationship with your earthly father is like, but when you have a close relationship with someone and you trust that they have your best interest, you would not hesitate to ask for their favours, even when you know that they're not always going to say yes. (Although I'd also stress that when you cultivate a good relationship with someone, you are probably going to talk to them about other things than simply making requests.)

You don't need to fear that God will think less of you when you come with "petty" requests (although it may be good to reflect on why you're asking for it in the first place); God already knows what's in your heart even before you ask for it, and remember that He's already seen you at your worst, and yet still sends His son to die for you.

Don't worry about the "size" of your requestst. I recall R.C. Sproul once said, when you consider the greatness of God's powers, what you might consider "big problems" is not significantly bigger than what we might view as "little things". God can and has and will respond to both "small" and "large" requests if He sees fit.

In fact, C.S. Lewis mentions that the willingness to surrender and rely on God on even the little things in life is a sign of Christian humility, as it draws us away from our preoccupations with our own strength and self-sufficiency; Jesus Himself said, "apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5b)

@Animelover93 When things get bad enough you won't worry about how 'silly' your prayer appears to God.
Besides, He knows your motives and even your prayers before you pray.
If worse comes to worse, you can always pray about it.

Animelover93 said:

Trigger Warning: Mention of self harm


I'm absolutely terrified to pray because I'm afraid God won't answer it due to my prayer being too silly. I'm also afraid that I'm just using God as a genie to answer my every "wish". But that's not what I'm trying to do, but I'm afraid he will take it that way and not even bother to listen to my prayer.
For example: I lost my hairbrush, so I thought about praying for God to find it for me. But I'm afraid that's too "silly" of a prayer for God to answer, therefore my anxiety acts up, and I'm afraid he will think I'm just using him as a genie. So in response to that, I punish myself by using physical and/or verbal abuse. I'm just so afraid he will think I'm using him or he will think my prayer isn't good enough. In all honesty, I do pray for silly things a lot. Like if I misplace my lipstick or something, I'll pray for God to help me find it. Or if I'm in the kitchen and am out of parmasean cheese, I'll pray that God will find me some or something to replace it. Just simple things like that. For example "God please help me fix my eyeshadow evenly" "God please help my headache" or "God please make my boyfriend call me". Things that shouldn't really matter to our creator. I mean, he has more important prayers to answer than that. I could be praying for something else. And besides, not everything is about me, right? Other people are more important than what I am. Why would he want to answer something as stupid as the parmasesan cheese, which I know I'm not spelling correctly. Why would he want to answer anything I pray for? I just want to pray without worrying that I'm upsetting him or anything like that. What should I do?? Are my prayers too silly? Am I just using God for my own personal gain? I don't want to be that way I just want him to like me. I know he loves everyone, but what about like? Does he like us?

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Your prayers are not silly. I sometimes ask God to help me find things that I can't find and viola, there it is!

It's sweet that you think God is annoyed by "petty" prayers. I would think He is happy that He's on your mind even in the small requests. It is said that the Holy Spirit actually advocates our prayers on our behalf to God. And of course, He already knows your prayer before you utter them.

Animelover93 said:

I'm absolutely terrified to pray because I'm afraid God won't answer it

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Rule #1 -- be afraid to NOT PRAY. God is our ONLY refuge and strength - our only infinitely wise and powerful defense in this life.

It is like saying "I am afraid to get into the storm shelter while a hurricane is hitting my home" - you should "be afraid NOT to".

Your post is filled with self-doubt and recrimination which is exactly where all his goes when the focus stays "on you" and not on God.

Here is a great world-class free tool for assisting you n keeping your eyes on Jesus - a free online accessible commentary on the life of Christ. Read it... it will change your life -- The Desire of Ages

The idea of perseverating on one's own defects and failings is a "design for fail and much-more-crisis". Take the time to focus on Christ and this will give the infinite power needed to break that cycle of bad thinking. It will retrain the mind dwell on a real solution rather than inflate failing scenarios without end.

Animelover93 said:

Trigger Warning: Mention of self harm


I'm absolutely terrified to pray because I'm afraid God won't answer it due to my prayer being too silly. I'm also afraid that I'm just using God as a genie to answer my every "wish". But that's not what I'm trying to do, but I'm afraid he will take it that way and not even bother to listen to my prayer.
For example: I lost my hairbrush, so I thought about praying for God to find it for me. But I'm afraid that's too "silly" of a prayer for God to answer, therefore my anxiety acts up, and I'm afraid he will think I'm just using him as a genie. So in response to that, I punish myself by using physical and/or verbal abuse. I'm just so afraid he will think I'm using him or he will think my prayer isn't good enough. In all honesty, I do pray for silly things a lot. Like if I misplace my lipstick or something, I'll pray for God to help me find it. Or if I'm in the kitchen and am out of parmasean cheese, I'll pray that God will find me some or something to replace it. Just simple things like that. For example "God please help me fix my eyeshadow evenly" "God please help my headache" or "God please make my boyfriend call me". Things that shouldn't really matter to our creator. I mean, he has more important prayers to answer than that. I could be praying for something else. And besides, not everything is about me, right? Other people are more important than what I am. Why would he want to answer something as stupid as the parmasesan cheese, which I know I'm not spelling correctly. Why would he want to answer anything I pray for? I just want to pray without worrying that I'm upsetting him or anything like that. What should I do?? Are my prayers too silly? Am I just using God for my own personal gain? I don't want to be that way I just want him to like me. I know he loves everyone, but what about like? Does he like us?

Click to expand...

God loves you, the Bible says he cares for you, so cast every concern on him.

1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

He may not answer every prayer you pray, he does not answer all of mine, and I am sure I have had a few silly prayers. But God loves you and wants you to pray to Him.