My Prayer In the Valley

From what I read and hear, it seems that Christians pray more often during difficult times than in good times. The idea is when people have a reason to be desperate, they cry out to God. When they feel things are under control, they don't need to pray. I've always wondered about that because the opposite is true for me. When life is sailing along smoothly, I find it easy to pray and be thankful, to pray for others. But when I'm walking {sometimes crawling} through the valley, I don't want to pray.

I think it goes back to the deep-rooted concept I held for so long that if something is wrong, it must be because God is angry with me and no longer loves me. I must've done something to deserve His punishment.

I now know that God loves me no matter what, that He is always working for my good and His glory. Still, old habits die hard. My first instinct is to believe God has removed Himself from my situation and is waiting for me to clean it up. That couldn't be further from the truth. He's the one who gets down in the valley with me to lift me out. Still prayer doesn't come easily when I need to be praying most. I often utter, Help me. Maybe that's all I really need to pray anyway. God doesn't need a list of reasons why I need His help; He already knows. And He's already waiting to rescue me.

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1-2, NIV)