Prayers having to be PERFECT

[EtainSkirata]

A common theme with OCD is prayers needing to be said perfectly, or close to it. And I definitely have this issue. For some reason I feel like I can't "say" my prayers correctly (even though I'm praying in my head) and I repeat portions until I get it right. Classic OCD, eh? Has anyone struggled with this? Any advice?

 

[TenthAveN]

If I slur at all, or fall asleep (as I am often up very late), I repeat words.

 

[Rescued One]

A common theme with OCD is prayers needing to be said perfectly, or close to it. And I definitely have this issue. For some reason I feel like I can't "say" my prayers correctly (even though I'm praying in my head) and I repeat portions until I get it right. Classic OCD, eh? Has anyone struggled with this? Any advice?

I type phrases twice sometimes and don't see my mistake until the next day. Then I edit them. I'm now aware that very intelligent and educated people also make mistakes. One such person wrote "Whose in charge here?" It should have been, "Who's (Who is )in charge here." No one is perfect!

When I was younger, a lot of people told me that I had gorgeous handwriting. I wrote a lot of correspondence with ink. When I made a mistake, I threw the page in the trash and took a new
blank piece of paper to do it over.

 

[Carl Emerson]

A common theme with OCD is prayers needing to be said perfectly, or close to it. And I definitely have this issue. For some reason I feel like I can't "say" my prayers correctly (even though I'm praying in my head) and I repeat portions until I get it right. Classic OCD, eh? Has anyone struggled with this? Any advice?

He knows what we need even before we ask because He sees into the heart.

So if we mess-up He knows what we meant to say and therefore it doesn't matter.

We are praying to a loving God who understands our weaknesses.

 

[Tolworth John]

common theme with OCD is prayers needing to be said perfectly, or close to it.

Can you point to a verse that tells all Christians that this applies?

Romans 8:26-27niv.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Note the spirit takes what we cannot say and passes it to God, it follows that misspronounced words, badly said prayers etc will also be accepted by God.

 

[NBB]

Before in my life i didn't pray enough because i thought i needed to express myself in some kind of way, but God hears your prayers whatever they may be, so if you just say 'God help me' over and over that is enough for him to hear your 'humble' prayer.

When people want something from other people they can insist a lot until they get what they want, prayer can be similar to that and we need to insist with it, even if its asking the same simple thing over and over. I say God sees your intention and heart etc, and you don't need any special wording or some complicated sentence at all.

 

[Mari17]

A common theme with OCD is prayers needing to be said perfectly, or close to it. And I definitely have this issue. For some reason I feel like I can't "say" my prayers correctly (even though I'm praying in my head) and I repeat portions until I get it right. Classic OCD, eh? Has anyone struggled with this? Any advice?

Yes, I have had this! Repetition of prayers is a common compulsion. So, knowing this is a compulsion, how would you work on limiting or reducing it?

 

[EtainSkirata]

Yes, I have had this! Repetition of prayers is a common compulsion. So, knowing this is a compulsion, how would you work on limiting or reducing it?

Basically, I try to tell myself that God knows what I'm trying to say, and that the more I try and repeat it to make it "perfect," the more stuck I'm going to get. Easier said than done sometimes though haha.

 

[Mari17]

Basically, I try to tell myself that God knows what I'm trying to say, and that the more I try and repeat it to make it "perfect," the more stuck I'm going to get. Easier said than done sometimes though haha.

I know, right? LOL. The more I learn to trust God (and not expect myself to be perfect), the easier it gets...I'm a work in progress, though!