As Christians, we often feel the pressure to have a vibrant prayer life.

We want to talk to God more, but sometimes we're just not sure how.

So what are we supposed to do when the seemingly simple act of prayer feels like an impossible task?

In my interview today, I talk with Erica Allen about the struggles of consistent prayer, how

journaling can help us with that, and what God really thinks about our baby steps towards

him.

Erica Allen serves as the director of Bible editorial at Crossway.

She's also a contributor to the ESV Women's Study Bible and the author of Crossway's new

collection of ESV prayer journals.

Let's get started.

Well, Erica, thank you so much for joining me today on the Crossway podcast.

Thank you, Matt.

It's good to get to talk to you in this context.

Some of our listeners might know, but probably many others wouldn't that you, Matt. It's good to get to talk to you in this context. Some of our listeners might know, but probably many others wouldn't that you, we actually get to work together on our weekly basis.

That's right. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do here at Crossway? Sure. So I'm the editorial director in the Bible department. So I work with our contributors and authors and editors on our resource Bibles. So any

Bibles that have additional study material kind of help keep those processes moving, making sure

everybody knows what they're supposed to be doing and when things are due and things of that

nature. Yeah. So you also have a degree, a master's degree from Wheaton College

Graduate School. What did you study? I studied systematic and historical theology. Okay. So I would

imagine for someone who listening right now, there might be the assumption of, okay, you work for a publisher,

you oversee a lot of Bible projects, you have a degree in theology. You of all people should maybe have the prayer game

really down. Maybe you and like a pastor would be kind of a people who would really know how to

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