Lately, the subject of prayer has been weighing heavily on my heart. In fact, you could say I’ve been praying a lot about prayer itself. It’s fascinating how God teaches us to pray—often by sending difficulty our way. James, the brother of Jesus, touches on this in his letter. In James 1:2-4, he explains that trials come our way to sanctify us, making us more like Christ. And then, in James 1:5, he encourages us to pray for wisdom as we endure these trials:

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5, LSB).

I can personally attest to this truth. Many years ago, I asked God to help me deepen my prayer life. What followed was a season of trials that forced me to lean on Him in ways I never had before. Just recently, I found myself lamenting that I don’t pray enough, and wouldn’t you know it—God sent a few more difficult challenges my way. What is the lesson here? Be careful what you pray for, especially when it comes to asking God to teach you how to pray. His answer might come in the form of trials and suffering.

Scripture is rich with examples of prayers, and they never cease to amaze me. As many of you have seen in Pastor Keith’s series on the Psalms, the Psalms are overflowing with the heartfelt prayers of the saints. A quick search through the Psalms reveals that phrases like "O Yahweh" or "O Lord" appear more frequently here than elsewhere in Scripture. This makes sense when we consider that the Psalms often capture the responses of God’s people as they endure trials and suffering.

As we move through the prophets, we find that they, too, were men of prayer. Their lives, filled with trials and suffering for the sake of the Lord, drove them to their knees. You might be someone who wants to develop a deep prayer life but feels intimidated. Perhaps you think that prayer needs to be long and profound or that it must be elaborate to be effective. Maybe you’ve tried to pray, found it difficult, and given up.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a great preacher and writer, once lamented, "If you have never had any difficulty in prayer, it is absolutely certain that you have never prayed." Even the most seasoned and mature believers will admit that prayer can be difficult. However, as Charles Spurgeon wisely pointed out, "The habit of prayer is good, but the spirit of prayer is better."

To illustrate the simplicity that God loves in our prayers, consider the prophet Isaiah’s prayer for deliverance from Assyria in Isaiah 33:2:

"O Yahweh, be gracious to us; we have hoped in You. Be their strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of distress." (Isaiah 33:2, LSB).

Isaiah’s prayer is a beautiful example of the straightforward simplicity that the Lord treasures when we pour out our hearts to Him. This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t hear our long and elaborate prayers; it means that He listens intently when we come to Him with genuine, heartfelt cries. Even when they simply cry to Him for help.

I pray that God will deepen your prayer life and strengthen your trust in Him as you seek Him in prayer. I also pray for the church that God will make us a church full of praying saints.