Be honest now, you have probably talked to God a time or two about how messed your church is, and why doesn’t He fix this or that? Right? Maybe instead we should express thanks to the Lord for our messed-up church and for the opportunities to grow spiritually all around us there! From Core Christianity……………..
Have you ever tried to have a meaningful conversation with a person who would not shut up for 5 minutes? Well, God would like to speak with us more often, but sometimes we need to be more quiet. This article discusses that more in depth. From BibleStudyTools.com………………….
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/tips/how-to-meet-god-through-silence-and-solitude.html
Just like any other important endeavor, we should ideally prayer before, during, and also after. From Crossway………….
Many people were not aware that the great 19th Century preacher and writer Charles Spurgeon struggled with often debilitating and crushing depression. This means he also labored with prayer. So, he provides a model for us mere mortals who also struggle. Here is a little tidbit: “The essence of prayer lies in the heart drawing near to God; and it can do that without words.” From The Chorus in the Chaos……………
Minister, author, and blogger Kevin Halloran has written an eminently helpful and encouraging book on how to handle the most common difficulties with prayer. He covers prayer problems such as being at a loss of what to pray, being hindered by guilt or shame, unable to focus, being too stressed or too busy. Halloran writes on nine of the most common obstacles to prayer reported by laymen and clergy alike as a fellow struggling pray-er so that the reader does not feel either belittled or unusual for needing assistance in developing a healthy and consistent prayer life.
The author begins the book by demonstrating through Scripture why prayer is essential, and the benefits to every believer for persevering through the difficulties often found in praying to God in any kind of meaningful and fulfilling manner. Readers will probably recognize themselves in more than just one of the difficulty areas described and are encouraged to skip around if they wish. Each of the chapters provides doable action plans that are thankfully not very complicated. At the back of the book, Halloran offers a listing of psalms to pray grouped by topic and verses to find the prayers of the Apostle Paul. Finally, he lists many recommended books for those who want to go deeper into the subject of prayer. This is one of the most practical and approachable books on prayer I have read. I highly recommend it!
In this article from Rick Renner, rather than focus on one or two words in the Greek in a New Testament passage, he looks at Romans 8:26 as a whole. From Crosswalk.com…………………………..
Boy, this is a really excellent article with advice and encouragement on how to pray when struggling with depression. These suggestions would also work great for when one is dealing with worry and anxiety. From Crossway…….
https://www.crossway.org/articles/how-to-pray-when-youre-feeling-anxious-or-depressed/
And thank God for that! From Seth Lewis……………………..
Wow, I can’t say enough good things about this article! It is chock-full of good advice and little hooks to grab hold of to help our prayers whenever….but especially when we feel depressed and lacking in hope. From pastor David Murray and Crossway……………..
This is a nice article on prayer and here is the takeaway quote for me: “’The Christian’s relationship to God is like that of a little child to a kind Father. The Father wants his child to ask him for help. He intends to meet all the desires of his child’s heart. But he will answer the child’s requests according to his own wisdom, not the child’s — and therefore all the more lavishly.’” From Pierce Taylor Hibbs…………………….
The Difference between Wishing and Praying
