“This is how you are to pray.” // Matthew 6:9
A few years ago, I accompanied a friend through a very difficult season in her life. She felt overwhelmed and discouraged in her suffering. She tried to maintain hope that God would provide for her needs, but she could not see any immediate relief for the situation in the near future.
One day tears streamed down her face as she confided to me, “This is so incredibly hard. I just wish I was holier. Why can’t I simply offer up my suffering with joy? I am trying not to complain, but I can barely handle the pain. And the hardest part about this whole thing is that I can’t pray. God seems so far away, and I just wish that I could hear Him in prayer. I get so distracted when I try to pray. When I try to take a few moments for silent prayer, I don’t even know what to say to God. I am tired, confused, angry, and frustrated.”
As I listened to my friend, I knew that Jesus understood her heart perfectly. I encouraged her to ask Jesus to help her see the situation with His eyes. My friend and I talked about prayer, and I encouraged her to keep it simple. She was drawn to the words of the Our Father prayer, and they became her refuge.
A few weeks later, I noticed a new glimmer of hope within my friend. She shared with me, “My suffering remains, but I am keeping the words of the Our Father on my lips. Sometimes I don’t even make it through the whole prayer. These are the words that are bringing me the most consolation right now: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
Sister, the Our Father prayer is such a gift! When we feel discouraged in prayer, return to these words of Jesus with great hope. Jesus wants us to experience the consolation of the Father’s love. Will you open your heart to Him in prayer today?
Return to the words of Jesus with great hope. // Rose Coleman Click to tweet
Rose Coleman is an elementary school teacher with a heart for pilgrimage. She traveled the globe on a ship during college and spent some years in the convent as a religious sister. She was a contributing author to All She Had, Blessed Conversations: Rooted, and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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