How to Pray When You Don’t Feel Better
In my work-a-day world, I am a counselor, so I get to hear a lot of folks’ ups and downs.
One sometimes-surprising “down” during the lovely spring season is the feeling of loss and failure. The sun is bursting, flowers are glorying, trees are greening. Life and fresh starts abound.
“Then WHY don’t I feel better?”
“I should feel better. That makes me feel guilty- so I feel worse!”
It is frustrating to think we should feel encouraged but don’t. I want to share with you some ways that God has helped me deal with “not feeling better”.
Lamentations
There are times of grief, sorrow, rejection, loss, pain or trauma in all our lives. In counseling, we talk about these things openly and safely. In prayer, we do the same with God. We tell Him how we feel- openly, honestly, messily. He knows anyway and he cares.
It is helpful to read a Psalm of Lamentation (look at Psalm 31, Psalm 59, Psalm 74, Psalm 80)- read it to yourself, then to God.
Then ask someone to pray with you, too.
Sacrifice of Praise
There are times when things are irritating and pesky- folks not pulling their weight at work, kids leaving junk all over the house, endless chores. These are the things that make us feel irritable, whiny and snippy.
These are like “little foxes that spoil the vine”. They hold no eternal value and if we get our mind on something else, we forget it.
This it time to pull out Hebrew 13:15-
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. (NIV)
We don’t feel like praising God. That is why it is a sacrifice.
But when we make that sacrifice, we are pulled back to where we belong- living with God, thinking about him and his works and his love.
The sacrifice of praise honors God and changes us.
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