I have many questions. But will start with this. When I pray I loose my train of thought. In church when the pastor prays I dont know what to do. I try to stay focused. But really how do I unite my heart with everyone elses? I am a new Christian. At age 28 I am feeling lost. I didnt grow up going to church and praying. Was this something that was taught in Sunday School that I missed out on? I read my Bible- I pray by myself- even though my train of thought gets lost. But there are times when my kids schedules, grocery lists, work, and other worries fill my head and the prayer wont come out. Please provide me any helps or let me know what i missed. I am getting discouraged and worried.
Maybe a change in perspective is what you need. It's easy to lose train of thought. We all do! But it's easier
not to lose those thoughts when we consider what, and to
Whom we pray. Afterall, are we simply going through the motions of prayer, or are we having communion with the One Who gave us His All? Here are a couple of passages to consider, that I hope will be an encouragement:
pray without ceasing,
1 Thessalonians 5:17
One passage out of a great bit of teaching there, but a great one nonetheless. Answer me this: how does one pray without ceasing? Do you never stop praying all day long? This passage speaks to me, rather, of having a lifestyle of communion with my God. I don't come to Him in prayer - He is there already. I don't come to Him in bible reading - He is there already. I simply communicate with the One Who will never leave or forsake me. Ever lose track when someone is talking to you when they're right there? Why? Because you're not
listening. What's the solution? Listen. Yup. In prayer. Not for a literal voice, but for the leading of the Spirit as you pray. Communicate. Read, and pray. Pray and listen. Helps on keeping the train of thought going.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:26-28
Ya see, even when we do pray as
we think we ought...it's generally lacking! But the Spirit intercedes on our behalf, takes the prayers we offer and molds them with words beyond us to make them acceptable and even pleasant to our Father. So don't get so discouraged. If you are praying from a right heart, the Spirit is making that prayer..."work together for (your) good."
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