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Do you find prayer difficult? I do. Sometimes it's the easiest thing in the world, but sometimes there seems to be an impenetrable barrier between me and God making prayer impossible. 

Prayer has helped me through so many difficult situations. It has also empowered me during the good times. 

Whenever my prayers get dry or difficult, I try to find ways to rejuvenate my time with the Lord. Here are three things I have done to improve my prayer life. 

1. Pray about anything

I hear it all the time from people: "I'm not good at praying." 

That statement in itself contradicts your belief. Why? Because that statement is a really good prayer. If you can tell me you're not good at praying, you can tell God. He wants to hear your thoughts about anything. 

How will you get "good" at praying without praying? The only way to get good, is to just do it. But what is a "good" prayer anyway? A good prayer is just an honest prayer. It's a prayer that exposes the heart to God. That's the kind of prayer God loves to work with.

I used to work with my Dad. His office was right next to mine, and I knew I had full access to enter his office any time I wanted. I could ask him any question. I could complain. I could vent. I could start a debate. Anything was allowed in our communication. When we realize that God is our "Abba", our Dad in the next office, our prayers become more honest, and we are more likely to go to him. 

2. Speak in normal language

A lot of people think they're not good at prayer, because they don't have a good "spiritual vocabulary." But the best prayers aren't the most extravagant ones. The best prayers are the ones we pray in our own normal words, in our own normal voice. God doesn't want a show. He wants our real self.

Speak to God like he's sitting in the room next to you - because he is!

3. Ask God questions

One of God's greatest desires is to help us get to know him. That's why he sent Jesus. Jesus is God's ultimate self-disclosure. 

One of the best ways to get to know any person is to just ask them questions. Why not do this with God? Ask Him what he loves. Ask Him what he's thinking. Ask him what he thinks about current events, and share your opinions with him. If you're not sure what to do in a certain situation, ask him for his opinion.

You will be amazed at the ways he responds. You may get an immediate impression, or feeling. You may read something in the Bible later that gives you an answer. God might answer by changing a circumstance, or a friend might say something that reveals God's heart. Or God could use Sunday's sermon to speak to you. 

One thing is for sure, we can't survive without prayer. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

So when you struggle with prayer, just take a breath and let the words come out.