Is Prayer a Burden?

Perhaps prayer is a burden to you. Is prayer boring to you? Is it more of a duty than a pleasure?

So few Christians enter God’s presence with delight, simply for the pleasure of his company. Some think of it only as work. When we commune with a dearly loved one here on earth, do we think of it as work? No, it is a pleasure to us! If you are happily married, you don’t think of your times of intimacy with your spouse as work.

Christ likens his relationship with his people to that of a husband and wife, and the Bible says Jesus delights in us. The fact is that a husband’s pleasure in enjoying intimacy is not simply the satisfaction of his own needs. No, his real pleasure is in the joy of knowing his wife shares his delight. He says in his heart, “She really wants to be with me. I’m first in her heart; I’m everything to her.”

We know the Lord delights in his people. David said, “He delivered me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19, NKJV). The scripture gives us a picture of the Lord and his exuberant delight in us.

Do we delight in him? The Bible tells us, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Delighting in the Lord does not mean simply being happy in his presence. 

I asked the Lord what the word “delight” means, and he answered, “David, delighting in me means simply being able to say, ‘I would rather be with Jesus than with anyone else on earth. I prefer his company to that of my spouse, family or friends. I prefer him over all celebrities, world leaders, even great men and women of God. He is my delight.’”

It also means being able to say, “I long to be shut in with Jesus because he is the only one who can satisfy me. All others leave me empty and unfulfilled. No one but Jesus can touch my deepest needs, and I rush to him as often as I can.”