What keeps you from prayer? The same things keep most of us from prayer. Daniel was forbidden to pray. The law deemed It punishable by death.
Prayer is prohibited in schools, but they can never stop you from praying. Organized prayer groups may not be allowed, but nothing can prevent the child of God from speaking to his heavenly Father.
We can pray silently. Silent prayers roll like thunder to God’s ears. One of the best prayer closets can be a bathroom stall. Many times the bathroom is the only place of solitude in our own homes.
What hinders our prayer lives even though we have the freedom to pray? The most popular answers are busy schedules and interruptions. Let’s look at some other possible culprits for blocking our time with God.
Discouragement can create an attitude that makes someone feel there is no need to pray. Perhaps we think our prayers go unanswered. Perhaps we feel the answer is usually “no”. Could that be the reason Scripture continually encourages us to keep praying?
Look up these verses: Matt. 7:7-12, Luke 18:1, Luke 21:36, and Heb. 4:16.
There are many verses in Scripture like these. What do these verses have in common?
What can you conclude about prayer after reading these verses?
Is it possible that prayer is no longer a priority? Ouch! That one steps on our toes. If prayer was vital, as it should be, wouldn’t we rush into prayer rather than rushing out?
Prayer should be a daily routine, but routine should not be in our prayers. That is where praying with an open Bible is beneficial. A repetition of the same requests every day can become boring. Boring is not the way we want to describe our prayer lives. Pray from different portions of Scripture. Pray for different sections of your prayer list.
We may not spend time in prayer because we do not understand the power it unleashes. We are weak, but the power of God is a mighty force.
During this study, we have discussed various things to aid us in prayer. These have included a prayer list, a prayer journal, prayer apps (Echo), praying through Scripture, and praying the promises. With every good intention, we planned to start doing one or more of these suggestions. We fail to get started on it despite how good it sounds. Consider this your reminder. Today is the best time to get started because today is the day to improve your most important conversation – prayer.
I will ask the question again: What keeps you from prayer? Write down your answer. Spend time in prayer today seeking God’s guidance about how you can become a powerful prayer warrior. Once you have your prayer strategy, write it down and get started.
Prayer is the battlefield Satan does not want you stepping on. Prepare to battle TO pray, and prepare to battle IN prayer.
Heavenly Father, You know better than we do what keeps us from talking with You. Help us devise a plan that will give us the quiet time we desperately need with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
A Mountain of Faith 