Whatever else it embraces, true Christian experience must always include a genuine encounter with God. Without this, religion is but a shadow, a reflection of reality, a cheap copy of an original once enjoyed by someone else of whom we have heard. As a new believer I remember struggling to understand how to love and follow a God I couldn't see, hear or touch. Alone in my dorm room, while everyone else I knew had left to party, I would talk with Him deep into the night. If you have a hard time staying consistent in prayer, perhaps a trip on the other side will give you reason to press onward.
Nothing builds authentic relationship the way prayer does.
Several years ago one of my children came running into my room in the middle of the night, terrified by a dream. It was a night that I had awakened to pray. I too am terrified, anxious about events and circumstances too heavy to carry. As I kneel on my bed with my head in the pillow, I feel hope seep back into me. Prayer offers me a chance to catch at least dimly a glimpse of God's nature.