Four traps that the devil whispers to stop you from praying, and how to respond.
The devil does everything he can to separate us from prayer. Let us remember some of the tricks he uses.
Trap number 1: Prayer is useless.
Indeed, prayer may seem useless, a waste of time.
However, we are mistaken when we give up praying because we have too much work to do. By doing so, we prioritize productivity over love. Often what seems most useless in our lives is also the most precious: cuddling a child, embracing our spouse, or contemplating a beautiful landscape. Similarly, prayer is both radically useless and fundamentally indispensable.
Trap number 2: You don't know how to pray.
The Tempter presents numerous arguments to convince us that prayer is too difficult for us, that it is a task for specialists, and that we should train ourselves before we can start praying. Once again, it is true that we may not know how to pray.
Our prayer may be filled with distractions, infidelities, subtle self-seeking, and countless other imperfections. So what? When a father cradles his baby in his arms and the baby babbles and smiles, does the father let go of the child and say, "You can only come to me when you know how to speak"? Of course not! On the contrary, the father marvels at and cherishes those awkward babblings. What holds for earthly parents also holds for God!
Trap number 3: You'll pray when you have time.
One thing is certain: if we wait until we have time to pray, we will never pray because there will always be urgent tasks to accomplish. If we intend to pray today but do not set aside a specific time for it, we run the risk of reaching the evening without praying.
The person who prays regularly is not the one with ample free time but who assigns time for prayer. It is a matter of choice: what are our priorities? Do we view prayer as an optional luxury? If it is a priority, it will have a significant place in our time management.
Trap number 4: Instead of praying, work.
In other words, if we worked wholeheartedly, there is no need to pray.
It is true that prayer and work together help us be in the presence of God, to be close to Him, and to serve Him. Thankfully! Otherwise, it would mean that we could only spend a small portion of our days with God.
Do I try to get close to God? Am I "connected" to Him? I must do His will, wherever He wants, whenever and however He wants. Whether it is when I'm preparing a meal, leading a meeting at work, or managing the accounts for my company, that is when I am closest to Him. One cannot pray "at all times" if one does not dedicate specific times for prayer.
So let us entrust our good intentions to Mary, whose prayer was perfect, to unite our work with our prayer and with our relaxation.
Excerpts from Christine Ponsard
Video: