Prayer

[bigat]

I've been having such a hard time praying & reading my Bible lately. It has become so hard to focus on my prayer (mind starts to wonder) or focus on the Bible passage I am reading.

When I read threads from people in this forum who have been impacted by a scripture or find some great meaning in a scripture I always wonder, "Why can't I?" or " What am I missing?".

For awhile I just thought - no biggy - I'm just in a rut, a valley, things will clear up. Just keep praying. But to no avail. Here I am several months later & still cannot focus on God. I thought maybe it was some unrepented sin - as I've found a lot of times that is the case - something keeping me back from God. I've racked my brain over & over but I can't figure it out. I've prayed that God would show me what is keeping me from coming to Him. I dunno.

**Please pray for me! This is such a struggle for me. I feel so far away from God right now - stranded - alone.

 

[Heinrich]

This is not good.

Have you talked to somebody at your church about this? Did they help you?
What advise did they give you, if any? did they pray for you? Did they lay hands on you?

I would really like to help you if possible but I'm afraid I can't really.

 

[LuxPerpetua]

Sometimes I feel my faith more than other times. In no particular order, when I feel far away from God I:

1) Talk to people at my church or other Christians on message boards and ask them to pray for me and give me advice

2) Meditate upon certain passages of Scripture (I admit it--I highlight my study Bible so I can always go back to the passages I liked best and remind me of my faith)

3) Immerse myself in contemporary Christian music, Christian poetry, and Christian TV programs

4) Read Christian books dealing with this sort of thing (Philip Yancey is great!)

5) PRAY, PRAY, PRAY . . . WAIT, WAIT, WAIT . . . LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN

6) Remember that faith even as small as a mustard seed can save me--I belong to Christ and nothing can pluck me from His hand (there is a Scriptural passage that says this, but I don't know what it is off hand)

7) Remember that God will always answer my prayers just not always when I want Him to, but that's okay--God knows best

8) Stay encouraged and ask for help and words of encouragement from other Christians

9) Know that no matter what you are very loved

10) Know that I am praying for you, too.

 

[looksgood]

Your not the only one who has been through this. I went through it for a few years. I still don't fully understand why. But by the end I lost all will to pray, read the bible or anything. It just hurt too much knowing I would get nothing from it.

But ask yourself, do you have to get all these wonderfull insites? Can you be happy just hearing others give you some insites? The way I was I was not happy unless I could say God showed me something. And I was a bit envius at those who were shown things I wasn't. Can you be happy just knowing God hears you pray and wether u feel it or not He is moving and is there by you? It wasn't untill I was satisfied with hearing another give me something God showed them, or with just trusting God heard me when I prayed that things changed.

Finaly after years I told God I trusted Him. That if I died in the state I was in I would trust Him to raise me up to Him. That no matter what I trusted in Him and His ability to bring me through. When that was really settled in me I asked for a dream. Not something I needed, but asked for Him to speak with me in a dream if He couldn't get through any other way. That night God gave me my dream. I didn't feel like anything was happening when I was praying. I just made my mind up that He would hear me and do what was best for me.

When I came through (and it is a slow step by step way) I found a few things had changed about me.

1:My faith was stronger. I had seen God move in an impossable situation when I thought I would be lost.
2:I was humbled and had no need to be THE one God speaks with, just as long as I get to hear someone tell me what He said to them.

Just hold on. Time to walk by faith and not by site. Time to know God is with you when you can't see Him.

 

[IKTCA]

Bigat,

I will remember you in my prayers. My friend, LookGood, gave you an excellent advice. Be encouraged by his testimony. Let me tell you that we all go through that stage, not only once but several times in our faith walk. Next time I go through such a stage, I will remember his testimony and encourage myself.

One thing I know is this. During those dry times, our hearts become purer and more focused on the Father and the Son. It may appear to be a waste of time and effort. Not true. No effort, even struggles, is in vain in Christ.

LoogGood, we have one more friend to include in our prayers.

 

[looksgood]

Your absolutly right iktca. It is a frequent thing. I have gone through those times PLENTY! But each time I find God purges me in them. And my faith grows. I tend to think of those times as blessings now in fact. It is hard to go through, but in the end it makes us better and more able to stand when the next trial comes. In fact it is boot camp. God trains us so hard that it becomes instinct to trust Him when we see or hear, or feel nothing. It has become my first instinct when I go through a trial. And I have no doubt it is cause I had gone through this fire.

 

[Daily Miracle]

When my mind roams, I found I stay more focused if I "whisper" my prayers instead of doing them silently. I also learned to carry the Bible with me because I find I'm often more tuned into it when I accidentally get to read it rather than when I'm making myself read it...like when I'm waiting to pick up my son and I'm stuck sitting in the car...or when I'm waiting in the car while my parents are in a store...or when I'm waiting for the waitress to deliver my food to the table.

I love what Looksgood said.

Do something that makes someone else feel good, for no reason, and God will grant you the feelings you are looking for. Thank God when He touches the people you know, because He will be pleased that you noticed.