When It Is Hard to Pray

One evening a member of the church came to see me on the matter of prayer. I had just finished a teaching about prayer, and she questioned a claim I made about the early church reformer, Martin Luther. Luther was known to rise early on days when he had much to do and spend extra time in prayer. The young woman found this practice counterintuitive. “How,” she asked, “Is it possible to spend more time in prayer when the day before you already demanded much?” I shared that this was not unique to Luther; many church leaders before Luther and many following him followed the same practice. Despite exceedingly busy lives, Luther and others realized that their own power to meet the challenges of the day was insufficient. Prayer infuses each life with uncommon strength, encouragement, and inspiration for facing every claim and every responsibility placed upon us. 

The question of the young woman is a common one. Her question is not to be confused with doubts about prayer or technique. Those are important questions, of course. But her question was simply the struggle of time. How does a busy life find the time for regular, meaningful time with God in prayer? Some who have been Christians for years have a faith that remains in its infancy because they have failed to take this question seriously—the question of making time for prayer. They are the ones who admit that they only pray occasionally and then only when they feel particularly troubled about something. Their prayer is utterly listless, repeating a few familiar words they may have been taught as a child. What these people fail to understand is that God cannot provide strength, power, and encouragement when we don’t make room for God in our lives.

When we find it hard to pray, Jesus speaks to us, here in Mark’s Gospel, of two common obstacles: the obstacle of time and the obstacle of place. Though the difficulties with prayer may be numerous, none can be properly addressed without first identifying a sacred place and time to be alone with God. Often, people tell me that their busy lives give them no time for regular prayer, though they clearly have made time to check their phones for the score of their favorite team, read the headline news, or simply play a video game. Additionally, no one who cares deeply for someone neglects to spend time with them. Time is found for the things that matter. Jesus found time by rising early in the morning, well before sunrise. Even five minutes with a brief devotional followed by five minutes of prayer prepares us to receive the things God most wants to provide us. 

Jesus then addresses the obstacle of place. Rising early in the morning, Jesus went to a deserted place where he could be alone. Though quick moments of prayer between demands of loved ones, children, or work colleagues are better than not praying at all, such moments will not nurture the quality of faith that comes with praying consistently in a more disciplined fashion. That discipline begins with identifying a place where there are no distractions, a place where the mind might experience quiet, and a place to simply be alone with God. There is wisdom in the teaching of the Psalms: “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10 NRSVue) It is astonishing how real God becomes when we consistently consecrate a particular place that is for God alone as we pray. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus teaches that effective prayer begins with time and place. 

Joy,