The Secret of Boredom

Ever get bored while praying?

If we’re to be truthful, every one of us has been bored in the
secret place. Here’s the next little secret that this book is going
to reveal with consummate eloquence: Everybody gets bored in
their personal prayer life and Bible reading. Even the twelve
“apostles of the Lamb” fell asleep in the place of prayer (Matthew
26:40-45)!
There are some days when I seem to have an especially good
connection with God. On those days I often think, “Why isn’t it
like this all the time?” But in reality, there are a lot of deadpan
days mixed in with the great ones.
Some days I am so looking forward to my time with the Lord,
only to sleep right through the entire time. Other times I seem
to be awake enough; it’s just that there’s no wind of the Spirit
blowing on this particular day for me. No matter what I read, or
how fervently I pray, this one seems destined to be a dud.
And I’m not alone. When I talk with others, I realize this is
the common experience of weak human beings who, in their
brokenness and frailty, are continually falling short of the kind
of connection with God for which their heart yearns. “The spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Jesus spoke those words
directly related to prayer, Matthew 26:41).
So, what should we do when we’re bored? Do it anyway. Persevere.
Do the time. Grind it out. Bite the bullet.
Allow nothing to dissuade or detour you, boredom included.
Sometime along the way, we need to make a determined life decision:
“I am devoting myself by God’s grace to the secret place,
come rain or shine, good days or bad days, when I feel like it or
when I don’t feel like it, when it’s easy and when it’s hard.” When
you figure in God’s grace, you can do all things through Christ
who strengthens you.
The Lord responds to sincere cries of, “Help!” When we are
feeling especially weak, that’s the time to reach out to Him for
the abundance of His grace. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in
our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). Jesus called
the Holy Spirit “the Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), because
He was given to us to help us in our times of weakness and need.
Call on your Helper! “Holy Spirit, I need You right now. Help!”
He will come to your aid because He loves to help us pray.
When I fall asleep in the secret place, I don’t allow the enemy
to use that against me. I just see myself as His little child, curled
up in His lap, so at peace with Him that I am resting in childlike
simplicity in His arms. I imagine the Lord using that time to gaze
upon me and enjoy the warmth of our nearness. I could have fallen
asleep elsewhere, but I chose to do it in His arms.
I am writing this chapter primarily to defuse the enemy’s
scheme to burden you with guilt and shame as regards your
secret life with God. He tries to tell you that you’re a failure or a
hypocrite when, in reality, you’re walking the same pilgrimage
that the greatest saints of history have traversed before you. To
put it bluntly, sometimes prayer is boring and Bible reading is
like eating sawdust.
But here’s the good part: One day of exhilaration in the Holy
Spirit is worth a thousand days of struggle! “For a day in Your
courts is better than a thousand” (Psalm 84:10). It’s really true.
Once God touches you with His Spirit and energizes you with
His word, you’re hopelessly hooked. You don’t care how long this
desert might last, you’re going to keep walking because you know
on the other side is an oasis of heavenly delights.
Now here’s even better news: The more you persevere in the
secret place, the very nature of your relationship with the Lord
begins to change—and the bad days get fewer and further in
between! There’s a threshold to cross in which, once you cross
it, the thrill of the secret place grabs your spirit and you gain
unparalleled momentum in connecting with God.
The point is, if you stay with it, eventually you’ll “hit pay dirt.”
Eventually the breakthrough will come. There may be a lot of
boring hours between here and there, but don’t quit. The greatest
things in life—those things that carry eternal value—always
come at the steepest price.
Boredom? Small price to pay!