A Barrier to Prayer

I was told by a friend not to pray to God for patience, because God has a tough way of teaching us patience. Like stranding us somewhere or making us wait a human eternity for something we really want. This attitude reflects one that I have found in my own prayer life. I find it difficult to pray when things are generally going well.

I think many of us find it easy to pray when life is so messed up that we can't see a way through it, but keeping God front and center when things are good is more difficult. Sometimes I think this is because we simply take God for granted. For me however, there is another reason. If I am honest with myself, sometimes I am not sure I trust God's plan for me.

It also helps me understand why followers of Islam pray 5 times a day. I won't get into the issues I have with it regarding just going through the motions but I can see how this discipline could serve as a reminder that even though we stop talking to God, he is still listening.