6 Things to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Praying

Do you ever not feel like praying? Is praying really that important?

Is breathing important?

If you’ve ever swum underwater, aiming to reach the other end of the pool, you know how desperate you get for air.

Breathing becomes the one thing you are focused on. Nothing else matters!

Without it you’re gonna die!

Just as without breathing we die, without prayer our relationship with God will die.

Prayer is the breath of the soul. 

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”  Martin Luther

What to do when you don’t feel like praying

Any seasoned Christian will tell you that there are times they just don’t feel like praying. That’s normal.

But, if prayer is the breath of the soul, it can’t be safe to skip it when you don’t feel like it.

Here’s what to do when you don’t feel like praying:

1. Change your mindset.

We need to realise that we are living in a war-torn world. There is a battle going on between good and evil and we are part of that battle. Prayer strengthens us to fight this battle.  

When we realise this, prayer will take on a new meaning. It will become as critical as breathing.  

“We cannot know what prayer is for until we know that life is war.” John Piper

2. Pray anyway.

Just because we don’t feel like praying, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray. In fact, that is the very time to pray.

Prayer is a choice and should not be dependent on feelings. If we don’t pray when we don’t feel like praying, we will feel less inclined to pray – and that’s dangerous!

“We should pray when we are in a praying mood, for it would be sinful to neglect so fair an opportunity. We should pray when we are not in a proper mood, for it would be dangerous to remain in so unhealthy a condition.” Charles Spurgeon

3. Read your Bible.

Reading the Bible connects our minds with God’s mind and sets the tone for prayer.  

God speaks to us through His Word; we respond in prayer.

Reading the Bible is especially helpful when your mind is distracted and wanders.

4. Tell God exactly how you are feeling.

Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend, so telling Him exactly how you feel is praying.   

God wants real relationship with us, and that requires honesty. When we acknowledge that we don’t feel like praying, God can do something with that.

If we don’t pray at all, we are not communicating at all. And without communication relationship dies.

“Prayer as a relationship is probably your best indicator about the health of your love relationship with God. If your prayer life has been slack, your love relationship has grown cold.” John Piper

5. Ask God to give you the desire to pray.

Since He is a communicator, God loves to answer this kind of prayer. He wants us to talk to Him in prayer.

In Ezekiel 36:26,27  God offers to change our hearts for us if we are willing. He can give us the desire to pray.

6. Pray more.

I often don’t feel like exercising, but always feel great afterwards. The more I exercise, the more I feel like exercising.

Prayer works the same way. When you don’t feel like praying, make a point of praying more. Be honest and vulnerable with God. Pray about the fact that you don’t feel like praying.

Pretty soon you will want to pray.

“Nothing is more vital than prayer in Christian existence, and few things are more vulnerable to neglect.” John Piper.

Satan does not want us to pray. He will cause us to feel tired, distracted, or discouraged – anything to keep us from praying.

Don’t allow the lack of desire for prayer to keep you from praying.

What do you do when you don’t feel like praying?