Tag pay attention to your feelings

There are four ways to feel connected when you pray.

I can probably safely say that there are many times, I pray simply because I know I should. Just being honest here.

Introduction

I’ll bet a lot of us pray and don’t sense the feeling that God is there. He seems distant. If we are always waiting to feel a real emotional connection, we might not pray at all. I’ve certainly been there, like when it feels like you’re praying to the air. You wonder if God is even listening.

Suppositions

I think we all get discouraged at times like that. We think we’re supposed to feel a certain way when we pray and if we don’t we think there is something wrong with us. Some people seem to try and conjure up emotions.

So how do we pray at times like this? Do we only pray at those times when God feels near?

Did Jesus felt his father’s love when he was asking for the trial to be removed?

Do you think Jesus felt his father’s presence when on the cross he asked, “My, God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

The first way to connect is to simply pray

The first way to find that connection is to realize we are called to pray. Period. When we feel that connection it’s just all the sweeter. I’ve experienced prayer when it seemed like God was literally hugging me. However, there have been about as many times I haven’t.

If you are a new Christian or know someone who is just beginning their journey, don’t give them the impression that it has to always be that way. It’s no wonder so many people get turned off by other Christians. There are often unrealistic and when those expectations aren’t met, they feel like a failure and they quit.

Secondly, don’t always expect a connection

We need to be honest about the ups and downs of our prayer life while at the same time remembering that it has everything to do with our humanness and not God’s faithfulness. But our prayers are heard however we are feeling. It’s great when we have those emotionally connected times with God, whether in delight or in tears. It’s great when that happens with our loved ones here on earth but it doesn’t mean we love them less when we don’t.

I love it when I feel really connected to God when I pray. I would prefer it that way all the time. But I’ve learned not to expect it. I’ve also learned that while I might not feel really connected at the time, as I go through the day, those feelings often come.

Thirdly, pay attention to your feelings

Just as in all things of life, while we need to pay attention to our emotions because they reveal things about us to us, they are not necessarily a barometer of anything. However, we should still acknowledge them. To deny them, to stuff them down somewhere never helps us.

God can handle our emotions.

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But if you never feel a connection to God, that might be something you would want to pursue with a friend or your pastor. It might be indicative of feelings of unworthiness. Believe it or not, acknowledging even our lack of feelings helps us feel connected when we pray.

It could also mean you are uncomfortable being yourself when you pray. You might feel that God, because he is holy, you just can’t see yourself showing your emotions. If you need some encouragement in this regards, just read any Psalm and you will see the emotion freely flowing.

Fourthly, be “you when you pray”

You are you. You are the you God created, so be authentic. God knows you and your feelings. He knows if you’re not a demonstrative person. He doesn’t judge your love for him by your emotions.

So don’t worry if you don’t sound like you think you should when you pray. It used to bother me if I didn’t sound emotional enough, eloquent enough. But it doesn’t much anymore. I’m just being true to the way the Potter molded my lump of clay.

Don’t worry that you have to feel a certain way to pray. It’s probably more of a case that you’re not a demonstrative type of person. You know how you feel in your heart. If it bothers you, ask God to free you to express yourself. I sometimes wonder what God thinks when after all my years of praying I try to sound like someone I’m not.

I hope this helped you today. Have a great one and God bless.