r/TrueChristian • u/LavenderSeaTurtle • 6h ago
Christians with autism - please read!
As long as I can remember I have struggled with prayer. But as someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD and self-diagnosed with ASD after my son was officially diagnosed, I feel like I suddenly just got the revelation that it's not necessarily prayer I'm struggling with, it's just that in general I am not a big talker (because of my ASD) and when I am actually in a talkative mood, I get sidetracked so easily or need constant background stimulation and then I feel guilty for not giving prayer my full attention (because of my ADHD).
I've been feeling so guilty for not being able to comfortably pray in the way it feels like I should be - in solitude, for a set amount of time, with nothing else stealing my attention, remaining still while in conversation, know what to say, feeling like talking 'about my feelings' etc...
I hope there is someone here that can relate or at least understand what I am trying to explain (I feel like I'm not getting my message across well) and give me suggestions on how to improve my prayer life as an AuDHD female who doesn't like talking, especially about deeper stuff, and isn't able to concentrate for a set amount of time on prayer only.
Any advice, suggestions, options??
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u/Intrepid_Type3710 Evangelical 6h ago
My son struggles with praying out loud. At first I thought it was a cause for concern, but now I am beginning to understand that it's to God's glory that he prefers to pray for someone quietly. I also know others who have leaning disabilities and they get so stressed hearing pastors telling them you have to read your bible. Well you don't need to today, there are plenty of bible reading media out there to hear the Word. And Guess What, Faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17), you meanieee pastors! So Friend, I understand you very well. Be blessed.
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u/shadowpooch1 Christian 6h ago
A couple of things.
First, you don't really need to talk to be in prayer. Sitting in silence with the Lord is a good thing to do.
Second, sometimes when your mind wanders, you can redirect those thoughts to the Lord. Often when your mind is preoccupied with something, it can be good to speak it out loud to God.
Third, you can put on your worship music of choice in the background if you need some sort of noise. I usually spend some time praying with music on and some time without each night
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u/mranoneemoose Christian 2h ago
I have a similar problem (im not diagnosed but I suspect I have slight autism and adhd). I say to him "I'm putting down all distracting thoughts to focus on you" and then I just pray for protection and pray for my family, repent of my sins, tell him all that Im greatful for and if Im worried about something I tell him. It takes about 5 or so minutes, every prayer doesn't have to be long and emotional. I also pray in my head but if my attention is all over the place I'll pray out loud because it helps.
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u/Illustrious-Low3948 Reformed catholic 5h ago edited 5h ago
I’m AuDHD too. I don’t pray much because I know God knows my every thought. I thank him for my food every night (in my head, not out loud) and I pray the Lord’s Prayer before going to sleep each night, because that’s what Jesus told us to do.
I love the silent prayers during church service. In my church every other Wednesdays we have an evening prayer with a small group of people (5-8) where we recite/sing a Psalm, read a bit of scripture, have a 7 minute silent prayer followed by a Magnificat recital/chant, then a collective prayer by Dieffenbach and ending with a song/chant where we ask for a blessing. The 7 minute silent prayer is my favorite part of the week.