Today's church--at least the American church--is infected (in my view) with an unbiblical and counter-productive attitude toward prayer. Our expectation seems to be that prayer is (like everything else in our lives, we assume) supposed to make us feel good--an attitude frequently encouraged by pastors and preachers.
As a result, many folks tend to stop praying (or pray very little) because "it doesn't do anything for me." To quote the great theologian Marvin Gaye, Make Me Wanna Holla.
Don't get me wrong. I have experienced beauty and bliss in prayer, like many others. But I have learned to pray regardless of my emotions in prayer. Like the award-winning author Madeleine L'Engle, who talks in the video below about maintaining her discipline of daily prayer, even when it does not feel meaningful:
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