A person doesn't have to read the Bible for very long before discovering that one of the main businesses
of life is prayer. The gospel writer, Mark, tells us that in the morning a great while before day, Jesus
rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. The apostles didn't allow themselves to get
distracted with the busyness of life. Instead, they determined to give their attention to the Word of God
and prayer.
Prayer is the main way God changes us. "Prayer-secret, fervent, believing prayer-lies at the root of all
personal godliness," wrote the missionary William Carey. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church,
once said, "God does nothing but in answer to prayer!" Wesley prayed two hours a day.
Yet, if we're honest with ourselves, we often find that we are not in the mood to pray for even ten minutes. How should we act when we're not in the mood to pray?
A Normal Experience - It is important to recognize that not being in the mood to pray is an incredibly
common experience for Christians, even great Christians. The fact is, no one "feels spiritual" all of the time.
Moods shift, moods change like the weather. It is not always sunny (especially in Central Ohio). A cloud often
dims our capacity to see the face of God. The spiritual life is simply not a continual mountaintop experience
for anyone. Even Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Of course, it is entirely possible that we are not in the mood to pray because we know that God is putting his
finger on something that we do not wish to change. So we avoid God and we avoid prayer. But if unwillingness to
change is not the issue, take comfort! Not being in the mood to pray is a normal experience.
Don't be determined by your moods. We do not need to be in a "prayer mood" to pray anymore than we need
to be "in a homework mood" to do our homework, or "in an exercise mood" to exercise, or a "piano playing mood" to
practice piano. Anyone who has become a success at anything has done so by refusing to be determined by his or
her moods. Successful living comes from making a decision (to pray, to do homework, to exercise, or to practice
the piano) regardless of how we feel. The great 19th century preacher, Charles Spurgeon, wrote: "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 praying mood because it would be dangerous to remain in so unhealthy a condition."
Great feelings do not portend great answers to prayer. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China,
received many extraordinary answers to prayer. Someone asked him late in life whether he always felt joyful
when he prayed. He replied that "his heart usually felt like wood when he prayed" and that most of his major
victories came through "emotionless prayer." John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Movement, rarely "felt"
anything. Yet he saw amazing answers to his prayers for healing. My personal experience is that there has
been no relationship between my feelings and God's responses.
No wonder it is hard to pray. We are trained in America to be self-reliant from childhood on, and to
depend upon nobody. Our sinful pride gives good old American self-reliance a boost by demanding independence,
especially from God. In addition, there is nothing Satan wants to prevent more than us praying. An old
nursery rhyme states: "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees." With all the opposition
we face from our own flesh, from the world, and from the enemy, is it any wonder that we are often not "in the
mood" to pray?
When you are in the mood pray!
When you are not in the mood pray!
As one English pastor put it, "When you cannot pray as you would, pray as you can!"
