“He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1).
Jesus is the master of Christian prayer. We, Christians, pray in Christ, through Christ, and to Christ. That is how Christian prayer becomes different from and more effective than other forms of prayer. We humans have our weaknesses, and we often find it difficult to pray properly. We can overcome those difficulties by relying on Jesus Christ, who has taught us how to pray. Here are five major difficulties we commonly experience while praying, and how they are overcome.
Wandering Mind
A general difficulty in prayer is a wandering mind or distractions. One’s mind may be distracted about the words in the prayer or their meanings. It may be thinking about the persons for whom we are praying. Problems and conflicts in our lives can distract us. How are we to overcome such situations? Direct fight against distractions may not be successful. We may fall into further traps. Best remedy would be to seek the help of our Master. Offer up our wandering mind to the Lord and surrender ourselves to the Lord. Also seek the help of the Holy Spirit.
Selfishness
Another difficulty we face in prayer is our own selfishness. We need vigilance and equanimity in our fight against selfishness, which is eager to take over and dominate all our desires. Jesus has asked us to be vigilant, because his return can be at any moment. Hence, we are to be like the wise virgins who waited for the bridegroom with lighted lamps. We are to keep our light of faith shining bright. We are also to seek Christ’s face in others and strive to overcome selfishness.
Spiritual Dryness
Another problem we confront in our prayer is spiritual dryness. A feeling of dryness occurs when our heart turns away from God during prayer; we fail to relish the moment’s spiritual joy and God experience. In such situations we must strive more faithfully cling to the Lord as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Workload and Anxiety
As soon as we begin to pray, our first attention is turned to our thousand urgent tasks and anxieties that muddle our first attention. It may seem like a moment of truth and supreme love in our hearts. In such cases, we must turn as a final refuge to the Lord who is waiting to meet us in prayer. We must remember His words, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Spiritual Depression
Another temptation in prayer is spiritual depression. Spiritual directors say that it is a variant of depression arising from laxity of self-concern, lack of vigilance, and carelessness of the heart. “The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” One who is humble is not surprised by the suffering he undergoes. Rather, he is better motivated, his faith is strengthened and his convictions are confirmed. So with a humble heart, we can overcome spiritual depression by contemplating on risen Jesus.