“If we’re to be truthful, every one of us has been bored in the secret place. Here’s the next little secret that this book is going to reveal with consummate eloquence: Everybody gets bored in their personal prayer life and Bible reading. Even the twelve “apostles of the Lamb” fell asleep in the place of prayer (Matthew 26:40-45)! 

“So, what should we do when we’re bored? Do it anyway. Persevere. Do the time. Grind it out. Bite the bullet. Allow nothing to dissuade or detour you, boredom included. Sometime along the way, we need to make a determined life decision: ‘I am devoting myself by God’s grace to the secret place, come rain or shine, good days or bad days, when I feel like it or when I don’t feel like it, when it’s easy and when it’s hard.’ 

“The Lord responds to sincere cries of, ‘Help!’ When we are feeling especially weak, that’s the time to reach out to Him for the abundance of His grace…Jesus called the Holy Spirit ‘the Helper’ (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), because He was given to us to help us in our times of weakness and need. Call on your Helper! ‘Holy Spirit, I need You right now. Help!’ He will come to your aid because He loves to help us pray. 

“I am writing this chapter primarily to defuse the enemy’s scheme to burden you with guilt and shame as regards your secret life with God. He tries to tell you that you’re a failure or a hypocrite when, in reality, you’re walking the same pilgrimage that the greatest saints of history have traversed before you. To put it bluntly, sometimes prayer is boring and Bible reading is like eating sawdust. But here’s the good part: One day of exhilaration in the Holy Spirit is worth a thousand days of struggle! ‘For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand’ (Psalm 84:10). It’s really true. 

The more you persevere in the secret place, the very nature of your relationship with the Lord begins to change—and the bad days get fewer and further in between! There’s a threshold to cross in which, once you cross it, the thrill of the secret place grabs your spirit and you gain unparalleled momentum in connecting with God. 

“The point is, if you stay with it, eventually you’ll ‘hit pay dirt.’ Eventually the breakthrough will come. There may be a lot of boring hours between here and there, but don’t quit. The greatest things in life—those things that carry eternal value—always come at the steepest price.—Bob Sorge

My Prayer

“Oh Lord, this is so true. Many times, I don’t feel like praying or studying Your Word. But thank You for always sending me help. Out of my dryness, usually comes help from above. I will not give up Lord. Even when I feel unwilling and uninterested, I will keep pushing myself. Even when I seem to lack the zeal or desire—I will still keep pushing ahead. Even when I don’t seem to gain anything from my times with Your Word, I will not stop reading. Lord, I am committed to coming to You for I know You see me and will again visit me. Even today Lord, I really feel weak and very sick in my body—but I will find grace in You to still press in and press forward. Holy Spirit, please keep helping me never to pull out of the process just because it seems tough and unexciting. Today may be bad but I know things will change tomorrow. In Jesus name. Amen.”

The Challenge

Even when you don’t feel like reading your bible or praying, make a decision to still do it. Never do it based on your feelings. Do it because it is needful.