Friday 1 November 2019

When You're Guilty of Being a Prayer Procrastinator


I have big plans when it comes to prayer.

I mean, why shouldn’t I? The Creator of the universe has invited me, through His son Jesus Christ, to partner with Him in accomplishing His purposes.

It’s a privilege too amazing to grasp fully. Even as I think of it, I really can’t find anything to compare it to.

The mystery of prayer fascinates me, humbles me, and leaves me standing in awe of our incredible God.

So, yes, I have great, big plans to fully participate in this inexplicable gift.

Except that sometimes my plans remain as bare, fruitless branches bearing only the hint of promise.

Does that ever happen to you? 

With the privilege of prayer comes the feeling of responsibility. Of wanting to get it right, of not wasting the opportunity. A desire to ensure I cover all the bases. The burden is almost too heavy for me at times.

When that happens, I need to stop. Shake off the heaviness, the dutiful press of prayer and remember the sweetness.

Remember that my prayers, as scattered as they might be, waft up like a sweet fragrance into the very presence of God.

Soak in the bursting with goodness promise that I can boldly approach God’s throne at any time, day or night, and be welcomed there.

Relish the awe-inspiring truth that I never pray alone. I have God’s very own Spirit, the Holy Spirit, praying with me and for me, giving voice to the words I can’t seem to find.

Oh my, when I remember the exquisite goodness of prayer, it changes everything. 


I embrace the gift when I accept that my stumbling words and contrite heart delight my Father in heaven.

Free to experiment with various styles of prayer, the guilt withers away.

Sometimes, I settle in for a nice, long chat with my Father. I open my prayer box, and as the sweet aroma of potpourri fills the air, I lift names, concerns, and thanks to God.

Other times, my prayers consist of heart whispers throughout my day, continually, as if I’m talking to a friend who understands my thoughts.

But times when the topics up for discussion are heavy and rich with anxiety-producing buds, I procrastinate. Not even wanting to talk about the issues that I dread, I push back our meeting time.

Then I remember God's welcome mat. The invitation to come when I’m tired and weary, and I crawl gratefully up into His lap.

One of my favorite ways to do this is to open God’s love letter to us--His Holy Word. I hear His voice as I read His words. I glimpse His heart, and I offer Him my own. Intimate moments of fellowship follow.

During all these times, my prayers are mercifully transformed from fruitless branches to blossoms bursting with hope.

Not because I’ve gotten it right, but because He has, and my heart sees that.

I haven’t fully figured out the mystery of prayer, and I never will. Perhaps, I will never feel that I have it right, and that’s okay because it’s not about me.

Although I still have days when the guilt threatens to overrun me, more and more I’m beginning to accept the seasonal beauty of my prayer life.

My prayers may be scattered and small, I may procrastinate and fail to pour out, but my faithful Father is always listening. With a sparkle in His eyes and a smile on His face, He welcomes me each time, lovingly rewarding me with a closer walk with Him.

A closer walk with Him. A deeper appreciation for Who He really is. Turns out God has greater plans for my prayers than I do.



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What about you?

Do you experience guilt in your prayer life?
Just for today why not shake off the guilt and embrace the sweetness of the gift. 
It'll have you running into the Father's arms.

Here are some verses to help as you ponder this amazing privilege:

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! (Psalm 141:2)

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. (Ephesians 3:12)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 
(Romans 8:26)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." 
(Matthew 11:28)


Grace and peace to you,
Carlie 





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Live Amazed



Live Amazed - Embracing the Gifts of God in Longing, Loss, and Life, available now on AmazonBarnes & Noble, and Books A Million is a 30-day devotional designed to help us savor God's unending goodness even in the midst of our chaos. 

(You may click on the highlighted links to purchase.)

28 comments:

  1. Thanks for giving sweet and timely expression to this facet of prayer life. I'm encouraged to rejoice in God's "bursting with goodness promise" and come boldly to His throne of grace!��❤

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    1. You're welcome, Julie. Meditating on that 'bursting with goodness promise' gives me just one more reason to live amazed today.:)

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  2. Yes, God takes delight in our prayers. Even when we don't. I love that he allows variety in prayer, that there is no one right way. And turns our stumbling attempts into beauty. It reminds me of my children coming to talk to me. It is not so much always what they say, but that they came to me and wanted to talk to me.


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  3. I love this post, Carlie. The idea of letting go of the guilt and just embrace the sweetness of spending time with Jesus in prayer.

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  4. I often feel guilty because my prayers seem so lame no matter how much I want to pray better to be closer to Him and lift others up in prayer. I am so grateful for your beautiful post lifting the guilt

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    1. Oh, I think so much of us suffer from the guilt, Valerie, but God doesn't want that for us. More and more, I'm beginning to envision His sweet invitation and His delight when we come into His presence. That's helping me a lot.

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  5. Carlie, I don't think any of feels like a true prayer warrior. Of all the mighty pray-ers I've known, they all would say they wish they'd prayed more. My recent prayer desire is to simply have an attitude of prayer that comes from a focus on Jesus. I keep repeating, "Pray without ceasing."

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    1. Thank you, Deb. You always have such wise words to share. Just focus on Jesus and live with an attitude of prayer. In that way, we'll be always praying. I love that! Thanks again.

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  6. Hi Carlie, Your words so resonated with me and encouraged me that I've chosen to feature this post for next week's Grace & Truth. I hope you and your readers will join me on Friday November 9 on Candidly Christian. :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Valerie! I'm so grateful that you were encouraged and pray others will also be blessed.

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  7. Carlie,
    Yes, I sometimes feel like a "prayer fraud". I tell people that I will pray for them and then it may be hours or days before they come to mind. We just get to distracted with our own selfish lives. I've found some good times to pray are when I'm walking my dog. I leave the cell phone behind and I lift up the prayer concerns - especially intercessory prayer for others during that time. Really anytime I can put the phone or laptop away and opt instead to "scroll" through my prayer list can turn waiting in a doctor's office a prayer chapel. Great post!
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

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    1. Bev, I love your idea of 'scrolling' through your prayer list instead of your phone. I think for all of us 'prayer frauds', once we embrace the open, sweet invitation to come anytime, we can drop the 'fraud' label. Blessings!

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  8. Such a good post. Years ago I felt convicted for the times I said, "I will be praying" and then forgot to do so. So whenever I say this now, I immediately write it down so that it is in front of me and make the time to do so. Blessings!

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    1. Thank you, Joanne. Yes, writing down the prayer requests is a good way to remember to get to them. Sometimes, I even pray right there on the spot. :)

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  9. How like us to read books about prayer, to craft extensive and detailed prayer lists, and to make big plans... and then to fail to connect with God on a meaningful level!

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    1. Exactly like us, Michele. But our God is so patient and welcoming. It reminds me to stop planning and just pray. Blessings, my friend.

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  10. I am so guilty of being a prayer procrastinator! Honestly, somedays I lay my head on the pillow at night and realized I have not had a conversation with God all day. It's pathetic. I know better! Thank you so much for these beautiful reminders!

    Pinned.

    Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!

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    1. Don't worry, Patsy, you're not alone. We all have some level of guilt when it comes to our prayer life. But I think God wants us to shake the guilt and savor the sweetness of the invitation. We can talk with Him anytime, even at night when we are lying in bed remembering that we haven't spoken to Him all day. And that is something to thank Him for, isn't it? So, let's do this together, let's pray rather than pine.

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  11. I don't fully understand the mystery of prayer either, but I know that it makes such a difference in my life when I remember to stay in conversation with the Lord. Thanks for reminding me today that I need to continue to prioritize prayer.

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    1. Yes, Lisa! I'm so thankful for God's plans for prayer in my life. It does make such a difference when I remain in conversation with Him.

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  12. Yes, I, too, am a prayer procrastinator at times. The distractions of life get in the way and I forget to bring those shared concerns with the Lord. I do try to converse with the Lord throughout my day, but those prayers often center around me and what I am doing or what I need. Prayer is such a privilege and such a beautiful way to grow in intimacy with the Lord. Thanks for sharing a great post!

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    1. It is such a privilege, Cheryl, and even as I type this, I'm praying that we'll push distractions out of the way and embrace this 'beautiful way to grow in intimacy with the Lord'. Thanks for visiting.

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  13. I am truly learning the power of grace in my life. I can relate to this role of prayer procrastinator so well. And I'm so glad that when I do come to God, He is always happy to see me.

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    1. I'm so thankful for that power of grace, too, Rebecca! It draws me in.

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  14. Our enemy wants us to feel guilty about our prayer lives because he knows when we are communing with our Heavenly Father, He moves on our behalf. Then we are a threat. When we understand where our discouragement comes from - our enemy as well as our own expectations and rules - then we can be set free to just talk to Him. Thanks for sharing on Grace & Truth this week.

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    1. So well said, Aimee, and so full wisdom. Thank you for weighing in on this common problem.

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