We tend to think that prayer should come easily to us, and many times it does. But prayer in the face of suffering can be a different story. We are often surprised when prayer becomes difficult, when it seems fruitless, when the needs of the moment are so overwhelming that we don't know where to begin. During these times, it's easy to lose confidence in our ability to pray or in God's willingness to respond.

The truth is, prayer can be hard work. Oswald Chambers describes it as not a preparation for work, it is work. "Prayer is not a preparation for the battle, it is the battle."

We're not the first ones to have trouble knowing how or what to pray. Even Jesus' disciples, who were with Him day and night, needed help with prayer. They came right out and asked Him how to pray, and Jesus gave His answer in the form of a prayer - the Lord's Prayer-found in the Bible in Matthew 6:9-13. The Lord's Prayer addresses the most vital and basic human needs. It not only answered His disciples' question, it can give us a place to start when prayer doesn't come easily, when we're at a loss for words - or even thoughts.

Jesus began His prayer with words of praise to God: "Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name." Of course Jesus knows that it is sometimes hard for us to praise God when life is difficult. Yet He knows that praise can be the dynamite that breaks loose the prayer "log jam" in our hearts. Praise places heaven's perspective solidly in our hearts and prepares us to approach God's throne.

The Bible gives us plenty of reminders about the goodness and praiseworthiness of God. James 1:17, for example, reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from Him. So no matter what our circumstances, we can begin to take note of the good gifts we have received in life-perhaps the beauty of a fresh snowfall, a thoughtful friend, a good meal, our family, the gift of eternal life-and start thanking God for what He has already given to us. We can choose to have a praising heart that says, "God, regardless of how I feel, regardless of my difficult circumstances, I will praise You because You are worthy."

With the words, "Your kingdom come," Jesus directed us to pray for His kingdom. He encouraged us to invite God's presence to be established in everything we do, in every part of life. The Psalmist hungered for the presence of God's kingdom in his life and wrote, "in Thy presence is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11 NASB). How desperately we need to feel the joy of God's presence when we are suffering! Like the Psalmist, we can pray for God's kingdom to be present in every aspect of life.

Jesus also instructed us to pray, "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." By praying in this way, we give God the freedom to work out His will, His plans, and His purposes in our lives. We can seek out His will by reading the Bible, the Word of God. It is there that we discover the character of His heart and the awesome depths of His love. As we learn more about Him, His plans, and His purposes for our lives, we will receive fuel for our prayers.

As we pray and immerse ourselves in the Bible, we can't help but discover that we are of infinite worth to God. He cares so deeply about the needs of our hearts that He has seen fit to record (particularly in the Psalms) the heart cries of others who struggled before us so that we would know we could express our deepest needs to Him. He who has so tenderly numbered the hairs on our head surely knows what all of our physical needs are. Through the words of His prayer, "give us today our daily bread," Jesus not only acknowledges but gives His approval for us to ask God to provide for our physical needs.

Jesus knew our human nature well. He knew that we would at times fail God, ourselves, and others. He knew the burdensome "debt" that failure deposits in our hearts, and He came to earth to set us free from the weighty debt of sin. That's why He instructs us to pray and ask God to "forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

When we walk through suffering, most of us have a multitude of opportunities to seek and offer forgiveness. We need the healing of heart and soul that forgiveness brings. We not only need it personally, we need it in our relationship with God. Jesus, when instructing his followers about prayer, said, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25). A lack of forgiveness can hinder our prayers. Just as we choose to praise God, we must choose to forgive so that we might have whole and debt-free relationships with God and with others.

Suffering, like a thick, blinding fog, can cause us to lose our bearings, making us vulnerable to temptation. We can follow Jesus' example and pray, "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

God is our Great Shepherd. Isaiah 40:11 tells us that He longs to gather the lambs in His arms and carry them close to His heart. How His heart must leap for joy when we ask for His help and protection! When we feel vulnerable and uncertain, we can always pray for His help in:
- allowing Him to instruct us
- trusting Him to lead us
- resisting the temptation to "go it alone"
- rejecting the lure of self-pity
- resting in God's strength and care rather than our own

The Bible assures us that we can "draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16 NASB). God wants us to come to Him, even with fumbling words and an unsure heart. He's given us the cries, the prayers of others in the Bible and His Son's guiding words on prayer to help us when prayer gets hard. He knew at times it would. How greatly He desires our presence. How much He longs to be a Father to His children-especially when they are hurting.

So we encourage you to continue seeking God in prayer. If you are struggling with prayer, ask God for help. We have no power to maintain our spiritual life on our own. We need God's help - even to pray. And it's okay to ask Him for help.