Tammy Tkach I've said it many times and you probably have too: I don't feel like doing (fill in the blank). I don't feel like cleaning the house. I don't feel like mowing the lawn. I don't feel like doing Bible study. I don't feel like - praying! When it comes to praying, should we wait until we feel like it, or is there merit to just doing it anyway? Ben Patterson, author of Deepening Your Conversation With God says we should pray anyway. "Not to pray is to lose the desire to pray, for prayerlessness is its own punishment. But pray we must. We cannot sit and wait for the desire to pray to suddenly come upon us like the tongues of fire at Pentecost. Just do it. The choices we make when we are not motivated are the most critical of our Christian walk." What choices do you make when you're not motivated? I don't know about you, but this is a struggle for me at times. My first choice may not be to pray. Lack of motivation or discouragement can lead to doing nothing or doing things that may not be productive or helpful. The traps of hyperactivity, apathy and hubris (more fully explained in Patterson's book) cause us to forget why and to whom we pray. Praying helps us remember. You've probably heard that love is a choice. At first it seems it's all about feelings, but feelings can change with years and hardships. Prayer can also be a choice. If you're new at it or you've learned wrong ways of thinking about prayer, it must be scheduled, chosen and sometimes forced. Patterson says, "You learn to pray like you learned to swim - not by talking about it but by getting in the water and splashing around. You relearn prayer the same way. Prayer is a discipline before it is a joy, and remains a discipline even after it becomes a joy." I've had to relearn to pray, if I ever learned at all. Yes, I did get "in the water and splash around," but my focus was on staying afloat by myself rather than on the Lifeguard who could keep me from sinking. We did not form a relationship. I've spent the last ten years splashing around and getting to know the Lifeguard, but with the feeling I had weights on my ankles. I'm learning to relax in prayer. I remind myself that Jesus wants us to come to him and find rest (Matthew 11:28-29). We can let go of our burdens and just enjoy being with him. Something "unique and unparalleled" (Patterson, ibid.) happens to us when we are in the presence of the Lord. He told Mary she chose the best part, sitting at his feet, listening and learning - enjoying being with him. Prayer is a discipline and a joy, but it can be neither if we don't do it. Don't wait until you feel like it, remember who and why and just pray.