Prayer Encouragement for the Discouraged

Prayer is the answer to life’s challenges, but sometimes it’s hard to keep praying. I know. A few years ago I was disenchanted with prayer and heartbroken. Anger and confusion colored my faith.

Grief silenced my prayers.

My best friend, my only sister, had lost a battle to cancer despite trillions of prayers and mountain-moving faith.

“Why do we pray if it doesn’t make a difference?!” I yelled to the sky. (Just keeping it real.) It’s okay to be upset with God and ask questions. Didn’t Mary of Bethany throw herself down at Jesus’s feet and ask why He didn’t heal her bother?

That was me.

I had to ask, “Why do we keep on praying when we see no answers?” 

The answer I found to my rant after months of anguish and wrestling was very simple. We pray because . . . we’re told to.

It’s that profound. We pray because we are told to pray.

Paul told the church to “pray without ceasing.” 

Jesus instructed his followers to go into their prayer room and petition in secret. He promised God would reward them.

The Perks and Perplexities of Prayer

I could tell you that prayer is our opportunity to bring heaven to earth—it’s an opportunity to partner with God. Prayer changes us in the process and draws us closer to the Life-Giver. Yet, for every perk of prayer, perplexities linger.

• Not everyone receives healing. Prayer heals people on this side of heaven and sometimes it doesn’t. (But you know this all too well.)

• Though important, faith isn’t always the magic key. Scripture tells us that faith is essential for answered prayers. The people Jesus healed were often healed because of their great faith. But Sometimes faith is not the key factor to the answered petition. Other factors, like God’s will or the will of the person for whom we are praying, alter the answer. The dichotomy of the sovereignty of God and free-will completely blows my mind.

I’ve also noticed that for each healed person in the Bible you can find a scripture about persevering through suffering.

But we are told to pray.

Peter wrote,

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7 NIV).

The Greek words under the English translation mean “sane and sober”. So we need to be sane (I’m not sure how we can control that) and not drunk. (I do know how we control that.) But we need to be that way so . . .

We can pray.

Every Prayer Matters

Peter wrote this because, whether we see the evidence of our prayers working on this side of heaven or not, our prayers make a difference somewhere. Our prayers matter. If they didn’t, I don’t think Peter would’ve written this. Nor would’ve John written about this vision in Revelation:

“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people” (Revelation 5:8 NIV).

Heaven loses no prayers. All fill heaven with sweet fragrance. Does this encourage you?

Prayer Fatigue

I know when you’ve petitioned for twenty years for healing, or for a loved one to know Jesus, or your marriage to improve, or ______________________ (you fill in the blank), it becomes harder to pray with hope. 

Doubt seeps in. We entertain doubt of God’s goodness and love and the power of prayer. Our prayers get muddled when we question why God does not answer. This causes us to doubt the Bible, ourselves, and/or God.

I’m sharing scriptures to strengthen your faith in the goodness, faithfulness, and wisdom of God, because we must go back to faith in His goodness. 

Why We Need Scripture to Strengthen Prayer

We must soak in scriptures about the goodness and faithfulness of God because Satan wants us to be angry at God. He works to place a wedge between God and His children. He delights in our prayer fatigue.

I wrote this a few years ago in a post on spiritual warfare:

I am learning to take this new perspective when I feel under attack or life seems to be unraveling. I begin to pray,  “Okay Father, what are you showing me? You be glorified in this hardship, this pain, this wound, this grief, this fear.” . . . Our trusting God’s goodness and faithfulness is Satan’s kryptonite.

Spiritual Battle

Don’t forget we live in the middle of the now and the not yet. Jesus sits at the right hand of God, but we wait for everything to be placed at his feet. Therefore, we must pray. Don’t forget to ask God how to pray before you begin, especially if discouragement paralyzes your petitions. Release yourself to pray whether you see your prayers answered in our reality or not.

Scriptures to Encourage You to Pray

1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

I consider prayer labor. It doesn’t feel like an important job for the Kingdom of God, but it’s the first thing we should always do. How would your prayers change if you knew this was one of the ministries God has given you? Would you pray differently?

Hebrews 10: 23: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

What is our hope? When we’re muddy in the trenches of prayer, we must go back to our eternal hope and the faithful character of God.

2 Thessalonians 3:5: “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

This is such a beautiful prayer. Turn it into a prayer for yourself.

“Lord, help me know beyond knowing that you love me, so I can trust and rest in your love. I desire to work with you in prayer rather than fight you. Please give me the perseverance of Jesus who suffered many trials on this earth but never stopped obeying and trusting you. Amen”

Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Don’t give up! Ask God how to pray to continue helping save souls with your prayers.

James 1:12:  ^“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

Persevere in prayer even when you’re weary. Keep trusting His love for you. Keep your eyes on the finish line.

Don’t Miss the Rewards

Hebrews 10: 35-36: “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Keep confident in the goodness of God even when prayer fatigue threatens. He promises great reward as we keep on trusting Him and praying through hard days, months, and years.

Romans 5: 3-5: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Are you suffering in prayer? This verse is an answer to such waiting. If you are struggling, stop petitioning the same prayer and start simply worshiping and asking Him to fill you with His love.

Pray With Me

“Dear Father,

We worship you. We praise you and thank you. We proclaim your wisdom and faithfulness, and we will continue to pray because you’ve commanded it. You desire our petitions. Help us bring heaven on earth. Help us partner with you to unleash your power. Don’t let us become discouraged or disheartened. Silence the enemy. Show us how to pray! Holy Spirit direct our words and lead us to the Word for encouragement and strength. You are not finished Father, so we are not either. Make us bold in our prayers. We trust you. Amen and amen.”