My Struggle With the “P” Word

I’m writing this post to admit that I have struggled with the “P” word in my life. Hands down, if I were quizzed about the area of my spiritual life that has been the hardest, I would easily identify prayer (I’ll save the other “P” word for another post!).
At times I wish I was like David, a man who used to go to my church who many consider a “prayer warrior.” This guy loves to pray, and is often sought out by others to intercede on their behalf. Compared to David, I’m more like a “prayer weeny.” Still, his example is inspiring, and gives me something to work towards.
There’s a verse I’ve heard a lot over the years about prayer, but have never really explored. It’s 1 Timothy 2:8, and here’s what it says:

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;. (ESV)

I will go through seasons where I’m purposely stealing away to pray a lot, and there are others where I find myself doing more “hit-and-run” prayers. If you can relate to my struggle, you may benefit from three things I’ve done to be a more proactive in my praying.
The first thing I’ve done is make of list of things to pray about for my wife and kids. As I hear my wife or kids comment on struggles, hurts, fears, or concerns; I begin creating a prayer list. It always feels good to go back to them and say, “Hey, I’ve been praying about this for you.” And, of course, it makes them feel good to know that hubby and dad has been praying.
The second thing I’ve done to be more proactive in prayer is praying with my wife. While we don’t pray together daily, there are times when we’ll join hands, hug, or simply kneel beside one another to pray. This time is always beneficial to me because I get to hear my wife talk to the Lord about things on her heart, and it’s an opportunity for my wife and me to speak to – and listen – to God together. Internal thought: She really likes this, so I need to do it more often.
The third and final thing I’ve done to be proactive in my praying is reading books on prayer. Since I know I need encouragement in this area, I read a book or two on prayer throughout the year to keep myself primed. A book I recommend to help you get grow in this area is The Power of Prayer by RA Torrey.
I’d like to close by sharing a quote by Torrey:

We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.

Obviously, prayer is important, and it’s critical to your success as a husband. To live your life well, and grow as a husband and father, you’ll want to continue to grow in prayer.

Like this article?

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin
Share on Pinterest