This series of articles, written by Dr Peter Masters, is taken from https://metropolitantabernacle.org/articles/remedies-for-problems-in-prayer/
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him (Genesis 32.24-25).
Various troubles may be experienced from time to time by believers in their life of prayer, and pastors are not excepted. Here are a number of such problems for which solutions will be suggested in this chapter. (We have not included the possibility of hardness of heart resulting from unrepented of serious sin.)
(1) An inability to pray effectually due to lack of assurance.
(2) Coldness of heart, or a lack of desire or enthusiasm (in an otherwise earnest believer).
(3) A strange loss of any sense of a real engagement with God.
(4) Straying thoughts, or short concentration span, or tiredness, often only occurring when in prayer.
(5) Worries crowding in and overpowering prayer.
(6) Forgetfulness of concerns.
(7) A mechanical tendency to pray in the same words for the same things.
(8) The ability to plead fervently undermined by the thought of God’s predestination of all things.
(9) The intrusion of anger or resentment over wrongs.
(10) Excessive emotion overtaking prayer and impairing thought.
Praying When Feelings Fail
Let us first take a family of problems, such as lack of assurance, coldness in prayer, little sense of God, and small desire to pray. For a solution we may go to that most famous of texts for troubled minds – Isaiah 50.10 – ‘Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and [yet] hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.’
These words warn that there will be times when feelings, including any clear sense of assurance, will desert a believer, but the instruction of the Lord is that this does not prevent faith and prayer, and therefore we should keep up our spiritual duties, trusting in the name of the Lord and leaning upon our God. In effect, the verse says – ‘Your emotional system is no longer co-operating, so that you cannot feel as you would like to do. The enemy of your soul is probably taking advantage of this and is attacking you, but this does not disqualify your prayer.’ In these circumstances, as we have advised earlier in these pages, you should come before the Lord without the help or co-operation of feelings, and use your mind alone, falling back on faith only. If you cannot pray with your head and heart together, you must pray with your head only.
When emotions are unresponsive, you may feel you have changed, but God has not changed, and the same gracious God Who hears and answers the prayers of His people will hear you. You must trust Him. That is the counsel of Isaiah 50.10.
Once we accept that legitimate prayer may be made with only the mind functioning we will find it easier to pray. Once we realise that prayer does not depend upon a sense of assurance, nor even a sensed engagement with God, we are able to get down to the task. It may even be that this is the kind of prayer with which God is most pleased. We remember Satan’s claim that Job did not serve God for nothing, and if his blessings were removed his insincerity would be exposed. The Lord allowed Job’s blessings to be withdrawn, but Job never abandoned his belief in the Lord. Certainly, he voiced many unworthy complaints, and behaved insolently toward God, but always his preoccupying concern was to find why God dealt with him as He did, and never to deny Him. Satan was proved wrong.
Satan is convinced that we too serve God only while good feelings are present. The Lord, in a sense, replies in Isaiah 50.10 saying, ‘My servant will seek Me even if his mind is all that is left to him. He will take full advantage of it and will pray with that alone.’ Satan will be proved wrong in our case also if we keep up prayer regardless of how we feel. God looks upon us with special pleasure when we press on and pray without the help of sensed assurance and warm feelings, for this is ‘raw’ faith, unassisted and unadorned by secondary comforts. Therefore we should summon all our mental powers to engage in a full programme of praise and prayer, theoretical as it may feel, trusting that God will in due time restore the heart to feel . . . to be continue