Maybe you’ve been in a similar situation as I was when it doesn’t feel comfortable asking for prayer. Thinking about it later, I knew there was more to my hesitancy than how I answered my daughter.
We Don’t Want Others to Know
Sometimes our situation is so personal that even asking for prayer means we’re admitting the problem aloud. We’ve struggled with it ourselves but there’s something that makes it too real when we verbalize the details. Will others misunderstand or minimize our request? Will they repeat something we say in confidence? Or respond in a way that forces us to realize the severity of our situation. As long as we don’t talk about it, even to God, maybe it will just go away.
God wants us not only to pray to him but also to seek the prayers of others in the family of God.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2
Our Issue Seems Trivial to Us
When we know of so many people dealing with problems bigger than ours are, we’re embarrassed to ask for prayer. After all, our request feels minor compared to what others are experiencing. We don’t want to bother or burden people, or God, with things we should be able to handle on our own. It just seems selfish! Prideful. Self-centered.
God doesn’t weigh prayers on a scale of severity of importance. Everything that troubles us is important to him.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5
Asking for Prayer Might Make Us Look Spiritually Weak
We’re concerned that we might not appear spiritually mature or don’t read our Bibles enough. Often people will respond to our prayer request with Scripture or remind us that God is in control. Shouldn’t we already know that? It’s embarrassing to admit that yes we do know, but we could use some spiritual encouragement right now. So we don’t ask.
No one has the spiritual life completely figured out and that’s why the church is available to support each other and live in fellowship together. When one of us is in need, someone is there ready to help spiritually and physically.
Asking for prayer actually shows strength, not weakness. We’re created to live the Christian life in unity.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecc. 4:9-10, 12
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Rom. 12:4-5 NLT
We Want to Try and Control Everything Ourselves
Have you ever said, “It got so bad, I had to pray”? We all have at one time mistakenly thought that we can deal with things without needing anyone, even God. Tough it out and go to him when all our own efforts fail. That’s the exact opposite of how God wants us to live.
God actually wants to see humility in us. Let go of our pride and admit that we need wise counsel or a shoulder to lean on. We need him! Independence is not the Christian way. We depend on God first and then he may put people in our path to embolden us to let the body of Christ help. He wants us to welcome fellow believers into our personal space.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Prov. 11:2
