As of late I have been having trouble with prayer, it has gotten progressively worse over time. Lately I feel like God is not listening (I know that isn’t true, because my prayers are still being answered.) and I have trouble praying with any kind of meaning, my words sound insincere and lack any kind of devotion, and sometimes faith… I like prayer very much, it is probably the time when I feel closest to God, but I can’t help but feel like I’m doing it wrong… Prescribed prayers are the worst, I can’t really pray the Our Father or a rosary without thinking it’s of no use because I don’t have any kind of faith in it. Even so, I pray often, if only because I know that forsaking prayer, no matter how bad the situation looks is NOT a good idea… Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
first of all i will say, do not worry about this, it’s really not a problem, it’s normal and can very well be a test from God, because God often tests us to see(or let us see for ourselves) if we are praying for love of Him for His sake, or for some other selfish motive apart from the love of God. so keep that in mind, and if it be the case, still don’t worry, but calmly and patiently pray for the grace to change, and learn how to love and converse with God more perfectly(for example -
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/670
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/744 )
Prayer is not meant primarily for getting things or for feeling close to God, it’s primarily for setting our minds and our hearts on God and on holy things,
although there are 4 types of prayer - prayer of adoration, expiation, thanksgiving, and petition,
we should set some time aside each day specifically for just conversing with God, just speaking alone with Him for the sake of growing closer to Him and loving Him more,
and that is really just as important, or some would say even more important, than praying the rosary,
well, i think the best advice i can give you is, just ask God to help you to love Him more, and to have a greater desire for heaven, even if your prayer is dry, the more you grow in your love for God, the more you will want to do these things for Him,
because to pray or do anything else with the pure intention of pleasing God alone, will gain more merit for you in a time of dryness than a thousand prayers said in one day filled with consolations,
or basically, we prove ourselves most when we do things despite how we feel, because then we show we are doing it for God and not for ourselves, and that is why suffering is the greatest proof of love,
although you may not have peace and joy now with these struggles, but the more you seek to understand it, the more you will have peace and joy with it, so just keep praying and learning,
try reading those books i linked, and also try reading the writings of the saints on prayer and virtue…that is really the best advice i can give you,
although i could explain more on all of this, but i think your best bet is to just educate yourself better in these things, and be patient with yourself.
ok, hope this helps, take care.
and his others too are good…