Why We Don’t Pray—and Why We Should

Five simple strategies to transform your prayer life from duty to delight

February 2, 2026

By Giselle Seidel

Reprinted from Billy Graham Evangelical Association.

Maybe you’ve read a devotional or heard a sermon on prayer and thought, I should spend more time praying.

Then a day turns into a week, a week into a month, and soon you realize you still aren’t devoting much time to prayer. When you do pray, do you feel like your conversations with God are lacking—like empty words with no power behind them?

Last fall, author and speaker Wendy Bello offered three honest and valuable insights into why we don’t “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV)—and five ideas on how to change that. She shared these Biblical points during an Unidos Conference to encourage and equip Hispanic pastors and leaders.

1. We don’t pray because we don’t understand the importance of prayer. 

Many times, we believe we can navigate life on our own.

“We ignore our need for God,” said Bello. “We tend to run to prayer only in extreme situations—when we find ourselves at a dead end, when we don’t know what decision to make, or when something scares us or worries us greatly.”

God did not design prayer as an emergency call but rather as a constant conversation. Scripture encourages us to bring every need before Him in prayer. As Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (ESV).

“It is unfortunate that we see prayer as a lifeboat we turn to only when we are drowning,” said Bello. “Prayer should not be plan B for the follower of Christ but rather an essential part of our lives. Prayer is supposed to permeate everything we do and every circumstance we face.”

2. We don’t pray because we don’t understand the magnitude of the spiritual battle we’re facing.

The Bible is clear that followers of Christ are in a continuous spiritual war. And in that fight, prayer plays a crucial role.

In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul spells out “the whole armor of God” (v. 11) that Christians need to stand against the devil’s schemes. And at the end of this list, he reminds believers of the importance of prayer: “… Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18, ESV).

Bello explained that prayer is critical for us to stand firm through spiritual conflict. “If we truly understood how great the battle is that takes place every day in the spiritual realm, we would not have enough time [in the day] to pray!” she said.

3. We don’t pray because we don’t prioritize time for it. 

Believers have been cultivating Biblically rooted habits called spiritual disciplines since the beginning of Christ’s church.

“Spiritual disciplines are practices that help us in our pursuit of holiness and lead us to grow in Christlikeness,” said Bello. “But as we know, all disciplines require perseverance and intentionality.”

In our fast-paced world, we make room on our calendars for all sorts of activities, but when it comes to prayer, we may find it difficult to actually set a time to pray and commit to it. “It seems that we are too distracted or that we lack desire or interest,” Bello said.

“Although we can pray while doing something else, such as when we are driving, it is ideal to find a place where we can pray and our attention is not divided—away from distractions.”

Bello mentioned the example Jesus set for us: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35, ESV).

Just like our Lord, we should also find a solitary place where we can spend time alone with Him and give Him our undivided attention.

Five Strategies to Strengthen Your Prayer Life

1. Pray the Word of God. If your prayers have become repetitive, start praying with an open Bible. Scripture contains many written prayers, but we can also read a passage of Scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to help us see how we can apply that passage to our lives and turn it into a prayer.
2. Remember that the Holy Spirit is always interceding for us. If you’re not sure how to pray over a specific situation, remember that we have help—the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26–27 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
3. Ask the Lord to change the desires of your heart. The Holy Spirit is continually working in us, sanctifying us and making us more like Jesus every day. Pray that He will transform your heart, so that prayer will become your delight.
4. Set aside a specific time to pray. Pick a time when you can be by yourself with God and when you won’t be easily distracted. Determine how much time you want to spend in prayer, but make sure that time is a joy and not a duty.
5. Find a prayer partner. Keeping up with any discipline is easier if we have someone who can encourage us and keep us accountable. Find a faithful partner who would be willing to pray with you and for you.

Understanding how vital this is to our spiritual health will transform our walk with the Lord, said Bello. “The Christian life cannot be lived in a godly manner and in the power of God without prayer. Our mission needs to be accompanied by prayer.”