For fellow Christians: I find it so hard when scripture, books and mature Christians tell us to pray more. Prayer is my HUGE compulsion and it's the most painful thing ever 😖😔all joy and comfort of prayer has been robbed of me. I will start crying (if I'm by myself) when I try to pray about things because of the overwhelming thoughts I get. I wish He would just take it off me😔but I must go through this.. Any advice or stories would help me. I appreciate it. Thank you

I went through a time like that and it was so though. One thing that helped me was worship music recommend maverick city music. I'm the arms by terrain and here again by elevation music. It was impossible to pray without constant intrusive thoughts anytime I tried to pray it was like being attacked from all sides. And I would jus break down to tears crying out to God. But the truth is that's ok cuz He hears you in your pain and he want you to go to him about it. If you read the Psalms you can see that it's ok to complain David cried out to God on multiple occasions tell him your troubles write them down on harder days you could just play music and sit with the Holy spirit for a while. Another thing that helped me was trying to find things I was grateful for and to praise Jesus for them like ... God ik it's tough right now but you have got me through it before and you will again you parted the seas you've brought Jesus back to life. Mental illness has taken over my life when you Jesus should be at the center. help me to have the strength to face the day give me your presence God for when you are with me 10,000 people could fall at my left and 100,000 at my right but you will not let me be harmed you will protect me you will guide me for all I have to do is ask you told me this I'm your word the Bible and I am trusting you that it's the truth. For you Jesus are the way the truth and the life. Give me your peace for I have been through so many sleepless nights my body is weary and I feel I am going numb. let me feel you now King Jesus for you conquered death and to you my problems are but a drop in the ocean a vapour in the wind you Jesus my problems may be small but you care about me and love me as your child you see my pain you hear my cries. Jesus bless me with your everlasting love bless those reading this post with the same. be near them Lord Jesus keep them in your heart for you care deeply about our troubles as a mother does her child. May they always know that you are walking besides them and when they stumble and fall that you will carry them home. And the times in which they may not feel your love that they would search for your face and that anythime they need help that you Jesus would be the first they turn to like a child to their loving father. Almight God be their healer and protector their amour in this battle againsed their own mind. May this rocky marathon that they have been running for so so long Jesus be what builds up their strength to later in life be there for others and that when they go home to heaven with you that you will look into their eyes and say well done my beautiful child you faught so hard even when you thought I wasn't there. Jesus may your love pour out over your faithful servant right now and keep them safe. May you help us Jesus to give up our burdens and drop them at the foot of the cross to take every thought captive for you that we wouldn't try to fight a battle that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. For the kingdom the power and the glory belong to God forever Jesus' blessed child. Amen. May the Lord Jesus bless you and keep you may he make his face shine upon you and keep you safe. May you truly know that your name is written on the palm of God's hand and that it is hidden in his heart. That your name is written in God's book of life. For you are his child.

I’ve been there and this is so, so rough. Props to you for not giving up. Prayer can take so many forms! If you’re struggling to feed yourself and hunger is making you anxious, going and getting a granola bar is prayer. Practicing ERP or other coping skills is prayer. Going for a walk so you can get an endorphin boost is prayer, even if you don’t actually think about God while you’re out. Yelling and complaining to him about how rough your OCD is and why does he let it persist is prayer! Saying “Hey, jerk,” when you happen to think of him during the day and then laughing because you just called God a jerk and you know he loves you anyway? That’s prayer. If it helps you recover, it is glorifying God and so it is prayer. One of the most helpful things I’ve ever read was The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. TW because it addresses prayer so could still be stressful to read, but basically he says if a particular form of prayer is not helpful to your relationship with God, let it go. Do your work for him and know that counts. Your work right now is to manage your OCD. For the people who tell you to pray, I like to think of it as a physical ailment, like a broken leg. You wouldn’t tell someone with a broken leg to just keep trying to walk until they feel better! You’d tell them to go get treated, rest and heal before even trying to walk. OCD is a physical illness. It’s a malfunction in the brain. Just because we can’t see it, that doesn’t mean it’s a spiritual problem that can be fixed by spiritual means.

They don’t know what you are dealing with! They are trying to help but they truly don’t understand.