We often look to the Lord’s Prayer as a template for the kinds of petitions we should make to God. It is that, but Jesus teaches us a heart posture as much as a form of prayer: to approach God as “our Father,” to humble ourselves before the One who is “in heaven,” to seek his kingdom before our own concerns, to ask for daily bread instead of trying to obtain it by our toil (Matt. 6:9–13).

I thought index cards would solve everything.

I’d been limping along in my prayer life, but I wanted to run strong and swift like George Müller and other saints renowned for their dependence on God. A common suggestion is to incorporate various techniques or systems like writing names and prayer points on index cards, using the PrayerMate app, or praying through The Valley of Vision. When I visited my parents’ house and saw a long plastic box with all my dad’s prayer cards, I thought this might be just what I needed.

While my new system does help me be more organized and varied in my petitions, it hasn’t turned me into an Olympic runner in prayer. My best training came instead from an unexpected source.

A few years ago, issues in my church left me feeling deeply discouraged and helpless. Things were changing around me—nothing, it seemed, for the better—and I couldn’t fix it. At times, I suppressed tears throughout most of the service.

Those who’ve been in the pit of discouragement and church hurt won’t be surprised to hear that this season made a bigger difference to my prayer life than index cards ever could. I was desperate; all I could do was cry out to God, asking him to work in a situation I couldn’t fix.

To overcome sluggishness in prayer, you don’t need another technique. You need a heart of humble dependence.

Why Techniques Appeal

Part of the reason we default so quickly to techniques and systems is that it’s the spirit of the age. Our culture valorizes constant improvement and optimization. Advertisers sell us the lie that there’s an app or product to fix every problem (or minor inconvenience). Buzzfeed collates endless lists of life hacks and game-changing advice. It’s natural for us to see a problem—“I don’t pray enough”—and seek an actionable solution. We want to fix it ourselves.

But we’re missing the core issue. We neglect prayer not because we don’t have the ideal system in place but because we don’t really feel like we need it.

Ever since the garden of Eden, humanity has tried to make our own way without relying on God. During King Hezekiah’s reign, Judah formed an alliance with Egypt instead of seeking God’s help against the Assyrian threat (Isa. 30:1–2). In the New Testament, Peter relied on his own strength and love to stay faithful to Jesus—and then denied him (Luke 22:33–34, 39–40). Our culture encourages self-reliance, but it’s been a perennial problem in all ages.

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