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I usually don’t feel like praying when I should pray the most.
When I’m overwhelmed with life.
When everything feels like too much.
When my brain is spinning and I don’t even know where to start.
I can’t be the only one who feels this way…
I get all in my feelings and let my emotions decide how everything is going to go instead of going to prayer first — like I should — so I can take it to Jesus and lay it at His feet.
It’s honestly always when life feels chaotic. Your brain has no roadmap or GPS to God — it goes straight to panic and overdrive.
It’s anything unexpected that comes up where I feel it the most.
And then what usually happens?
I don’t pray first… I panic first.
Why I Don’t Feel Like Praying in the Moment
When I don’t feel like praying, it’s usually after everything has already hit me.
After the panic.
After the overwhelm settles.
And then I’m sitting there thinking:
“Why didn’t I go to God first?”
Because He’s the one in control — not me.
And that’s the part that stings a little.
I feel guilty… but also distracted… and sometimes just emotionally drained.
It’s a messy mix of everything at once.
The Guilt That Follows
I do pray afterward.
I ask for forgiveness.
But I won’t lie — I used to struggle with this a lot more, especially when my girls were just babies.
That season of life felt like survival mode.
But through reading the Bible and leaning on certain devotionals, God really started to shift something in me.
Not overnight… but slowly.
He reminded me:
I don’t have to panic first. I can come to Him first.
And honestly? That’s still something I’m learning every single day.
What Helps Me When I Don’t Feel Like Praying
There are a few simple things that help pull my heart back to God when everything in me wants to spiral instead.
Worship music
This one is huge for me.
Worship music ALWAYS brings me back to a place of peace and worship.
There’s something about it that cuts right through panic.
It reminds me that God is still in control — even when I’m not.
And in that moment, there is no chaos. Just Him.
Scripture around my house
I literally have sticky notes everywhere.
Bathroom mirror.
Kitchen.
Bedroom.
Everywhere.
Just simple reminders of truth waiting for me when I walk into a moment of stress or panic.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7
Just talking to God
Sometimes it’s not even a formal prayer.
It’s just:
“God, I need You right now.”
That’s it.
And somehow, that’s enough.
A simple devotional that has helped me so much
One thing that has really helped me grow in this area is spending time in a simple daily devotional.
A devotional that has really impacted me is Embraced.
This devotional has helped me slow down and bring my thoughts back to truth when my emotions want to take over. It’s short, simple, and speaks right into real-life moments of overwhelm.
If you’ve been looking for something to help you reconnect with God in the middle of chaos, this devotional is for you: Embraced: 100 Devotions to Know God Is Holding You Close
This is one of those devotionals you don’t just read once. You come back to it over and over again, and it always meets you right where you are.
What I’ve Learned Through All of This
I’ve learned something really important through all of this:
I don’t need to wait until I calm down to pray.
I don’t need to have the right words.
And I definitely don’t need to fix everything before I go to God.
I just need to go to Him first.
Because He’s already in control — even when my brain is not.
If You Don’t Even Know What to Say When You Pray
Sometimes it’s not even that I don’t want to pray…
It’s that I don’t even know where to start.
My mind is full.
My emotions are everywhere.
And the words just don’t come out right.
If you’ve ever felt that way, I wrote something specifically for that moment too:
How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say
In that post, I walk through simple, honest ways to pray when your thoughts feel messy and your heart feels overwhelmed — because God doesn’t need perfect words. He just wants you.
A Reminder for Anyone Who Feels This Way
If you don’t feel like praying when life gets overwhelming, you are not alone.
You are not failing.
You are not doing it wrong.
You’re just human.
But God is still there.
Still listening.
Still waiting.
And still loving you through it all.
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him.” — Psalm 145:18
Start small.
Start messy.
Start honest.
Even a simple “God, help me” is enough.
Because He hears it all.
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