Faith & Family

Struggling to Pray? The One Solution You Need!

Do you ever find yourself struggling to pray? Don’t know what to say or how to say it? 

Feel like your prayers aren’t working and God isn’t answering?

Prayer can be quite a struggle for many of us. But, why is prayer so hard and how can we improve?

Let’s explore why we struggle with prayer and the one answer you need to radically improve and transform your prayer life!

Let’s take a quick look at 7 reasons we struggle with prayer. I’ve checked ‘yes’ to each of these at some point in my life.

Do any of these ring true to you today?

1. We feel like failures at prayer and like God doesn’t answer our prayers.
2. We place an emphasis on own power and work ethic to problem-solve and neglect to pray.
3. We approach prayer like a child bringing a list to Santa and thus belittle the power of prayer.
4. We value what God does more than we value who God is.
5. We view prayer as an obligation (something we have to do), instead of a privilege (something we get to do).
6. Because prayer is always available to us, we often don’t take the time to do it.
7. We focus on results, not relationship, and so grow impatient when we don’t see immediate results.

Do you see a trend in those seven statements? They speak to the focus of our prayers. Are we praying for results? Only praying when we need something? Or, are we using prayer as an opportunity to draw near to the Almighty and develop a relationship?

When we approach prayer as an opportunity to develop a relationship with God and to discover the depth of faith, prayer becomes an honor and a privilege – something we desire, instead of one more thing we are duty-bound to complete.

Prayer is not…

… An obligation, something we do to curry favor with God… A “good luck charm” we call upon out of superstition… Futile… Just for Sundays at church… Formal and empty

If your experience with prayer falls into any of these categories, how can you change it?

How can prayer become something more important in your life and in your faith?

How can you experience the life-changing power of prayer?

If you want to turn your prayer life around, and discover something truly powerful and transformational, pray for a relationship with God, not results from God.

Focus first on developing the relationship. Get to know God and share your life with him.

• Pray for a relationship with God.
• Pray for who God is.
• Pray for your eyes to be opened to the possibilities of a relationship with God.
• Pray for enlightenment in prayer.
• Pray for God’s strength and power to fill you.
• Pray for patience in the waiting.
• Pray prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude for how God loves you.

Source: prayerandpossibilities.com

Alpha Online Resumes

Please join us for the last few weeks of Alpha Online, 

at 10am on Tuesdays. No registration necessary, simply click the link below.

Friday Morning Mass at St Anne's

Parents are reminded that morning masses are back at St Anne's at 9:00am on Fridays.  Please feel welcome to attend and celebrate mass with the Bondi Parish community after school drop off.  St Anne's church is also now open during the day for anyone who would like to visit for private prayer.