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# The Struggle of Prayer - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/the-struggle-of-prayer/
- Published: 2020-05-19T05:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-18T15:48:40.000Z
- Description: Matt, Derek, and Alastair discuss the struggles and misconceptions surrounding prayer: how prayer becomes burdensome, prayer as experiencing God in a veiled way, and what petitions in prayer should we not ask for? All of this and more. Timestamps: LIVE […]
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Caleb Wait

Matt, Derek, and Alastair discuss the struggles and misconceptions surrounding prayer: how prayer becomes burdensome, prayer as experiencing God in a veiled way, and what petitions in prayer should we *not* ask for? All of this and more.

**Timestamps:**

LIVE SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT: May 26th, Mere Fidelity will be recording a live show (you are invited!) \[0:00 – 1:00\] – If you would like to receive access to our live show recording, please visit our Patreon and become a patron for any amount, [here.](https://www.patreon.com/merefidelity?ty=h&ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

The struggle of prayer \[1:00 – 5:50\]

The struggle of solitude in prayer \[5:50 – 8:20\]

How prayer becomes immensely burdensome \[8:20 – 13:28\]

Experiencing God in prayer in a veiled way \[13:28 – 15:50\]

The necessity and sustainability of meager prayers \[15:50 – 18:52\]

Intercession and petition in prayer \[18:52 – 21:50\]

The movements of prayer given through examples in the gospels \[21:50 – 24:06\]

Intercession as the highest form of love \[24:06 – 27:10, 29:52\]

What petitions should we *not* ask for? \[29:52 – 37:19\]

How to pray for others well when they ask for it \[37:19 – 41:18\]

The Collect of the Day + Live show announcement \[41:18 – 43:37\]

**Resources mentioned:**

[The Possibility of Prayer: Finding Stillness with God in a Restless World](https://www.ivpress.com/the-possibility-of-prayer?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)  
by John Starke

If you’re interested in supporting the show financially, you can check out our Patreon [here](https://www.patreon.com/merefidelity?ty=h&ref=mereorthodoxy.com).

Finally, as always, follow [Derek](https://twitter.com/dzrishmawy?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), [Andrew](https://twitter.com/ajwtheology?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and [Alastair](https://twitter.com/zugzwanged?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to [Timothy Motte](https://twitter.com/biotrom?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for his sound editing work. [And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.](http://www.noisetrade.com/thejoyeternal/a-sweet-and-bitter-providence-single?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)