Friend, when we say that we "don't feel like praying," it's like we're saying we "don't feel like talking to God," who is virtually the only Person who can understand us in all that we are going through.
Deciding not to talk to God regarding what we feel or think when we actually need to is like saying "I don't need God, I can face this [insert issue here] on my own."
Why you can't afford not to pray
Friend, we can't afford not to pray. We can't afford that, as a Christian, we'd be disconnected from our Source of power and all that we need. When we don't feel like praying, that's actually the time when we should pray the most.
Psalm 102 gives us a great example of a prayer of "one overwhelmed with trouble," asking God for help.
"Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don't turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you. For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red-hot coals. My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning, I am reduced to skin and bones. I am like an owl in the desert, like a little owl in a far-off wilderness. I lie awake, lonely as a solitary bird on the roof. My enemies taunt me day after day. They mock and curse me. I eat ashes for food. My tears run down into my drink because of your anger and wrath. For you have picked me up and thrown me out. My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass." (Psalm 102:1-11)
Here are some tips to pray when you don't feel like it.
1. Ask yourself why you don't feel like praying, and pray that to God
Whenever you are not in the mood to pray, ask yourself why. Everything has an explanation, and you can bring pretty much any concern to God, including that reason, without worry that He can't handle them—because He can. Remember Psalm 145:18, which says, "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."
2. Realise that God will not reject your prayer
When we pray, God will listen. Psalm 102:17 says, "He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas." Believe, and He will surely respond. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours."
3. Just keep praying
As a Christian, we must not stop praying. Romans 12:12 says that we should "rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying."
