Q. Do you have any suggestions for spicing up my prayer life? I know a good Christian should pray, but honestly, I really struggle with it. Half the time I get bored, other times I wonder if it's making any difference, and once I even fell asleep! I must be doing something wrong. —O.J., Amarillo, Texas

A. I know exactly what you mean! None of us wants to admit we're less than the prayer-warriors we know we should be. If you've only fallen asleep once while praying, please pray for me, because I've had it happen many times! The disciples had to learn how to pray, and Jesus taught them "The Lord's Prayer." They, too, fell asleep, because their spirits were willing, but their bodies were not.

Rather than scold yourself for not doing what "good Christians" should do, let's believe that God has your attention on the subject, because He wants to teach you more about how powerful (and simple) prayer can be.

I'm not going to try to answer all of your questions or diagnose your prayer problem. Instead, let me offer a couple of thoughts.

First, prayer is a gift from God to you for your benefit and joy—not an obligation He gave you for His sake. So, feeling guilty won't help you learn.

Your boredom may come from static prayer subjects over which you daily utter a few obligatory words (i.e., "Lord, bless Johnny and Sara and ..." or "God, help me be a better husband."). It's not wrong to pray about the same situations each day, but try reducing the number of regular topics for your prayers—and increase the amount of specific prayer for them.

Instead of rattling off a list of names, pick one or two and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what particular things you could pray about in their lives. Similarly, pause before and after you ask God to make you a better husband, and "listen" for little points to come to your mind. I think of them as coordinates on a map that zero-in my prayers.

Prayer is a conversation with God. Don't worry—He knows you're still learning to talk.

==
Answered by: Daniel A. Brown, Ph.D., founding pastor of The Coastlands, a Foursquare church in Aptos, Calif. Author of numerous resources including articles and books, he concentrates most of his ministry activity on training local church leaders throughout the world. If you have a question for "Your Questions," contact us. Mention that it is for "Your Questions" consideration.