Q&A: It feels awkward to pray in public. What should I do?
Q: I feel awkward when praying in public. I don’t feel like I’m good at it. It’s like I’m giving a presentation, like people are going to judge me. It gives me anxiety. How can I overcome this?
A: Thanks for reaching out! Believe it or not, that’s a pretty common struggle. It certainly was for me at one point. There’s a couple things I want you to remember:
Most of the time when people struggle with public prayer it’s because they’re more concerned with who they’re praying near than they are with whom they’re praying to.
Prayer is communicating with God. And when you’re communicating with God, that’s what matters. Not who’s hearing you communicate with God. So the first thing I recommend is that you remind yourself of that every time you begin to pray! You’re talking to the creator of the universe! That’s who matters!
The next thing I’d say is this: prayer doesn’t have to be long or loud or anything like a pastor you admire. It just has to be real. It’s okay to be simple and to the point. “Lord, help me.” has got to be the most common prayer ever prayed. It’s three words but I assure you God hears it every time! Don’t be afraid to be short and sweet.
Third, remember The Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer. He even gives them a template! It starts with remembering who you’re talking to (our Father)! Then there’s a reminder that His will is more important than ours (Your Kingdom, Your will). And only after that is there opportunity to present your requests. Remembering The Lord’s Prayer will help you stay focused on what/who is important.
Lastly, you mentioned anxiety. The Apostle Paul addressed anxiety directly in Philippians 4:6-7:
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So here’s what that means: the exact thing that’s giving you anxiety will help remove the anxiety. You have to keep at it! I didn’t put it in the scripture above but open up Philippians 4. You’ll see that the words right before “do not be anxious” are “The Lord is near.” Remember, He is with you!
I’m so excited for you to grow in prayer. Remember, it’s just like anything else. It takes practice. Keep communicating with God and you’ll become closer to Him. Which makes communication even easier.
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