“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
Colossians 4:2 NLT
The verse above is a powerful and important verse of instruction. We’ve talked about it many times, but our great God chooses to work through prayer in miraculous ways we often cannot comprehend. Interestingly enough, prayer can be one of the most challenging tasks of our days. If you’re like me, I’m easily distracted and lose focus in a millisecond. The fact that prayer is challenging should tell us something of its power. We know we have an enemy who would like nothing more than to keep us bogged down, distracted, and not praying.
Throughout the Bible, prayer is used as a catalyst for conversations about the good news of Jesus. It is a powerful tool we often underestimate. Prayer is also one of the greatest privileges we have as Believers yet one of the most neglected. Many times, we become masterful “thinkers” about everything imaginable but neglect prayer. Other times, we don’t pray because we have a very limited understanding of how God works through it, or we don’t see the answer or result in the time or manner we expect.
Take a second to read and reflect on the following verses:
“…and after that, God was moved by prayer for the land.”
2 Samuel 21:14 NASB
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
1 John 5:14 NASB
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;”
Romans 8:26 NASB
Even with God’s word telling us He works through prayer, we often still have barriers. Below are three common barriers to prayer.
Barrier 1: I don’t feel like praying.
Barrier 2: I don’t see my prayers being answered.
Barrier 3: Self-reliance
The first is very common for Christians. Our sinful human nature battles with our spirit to keep us from prayer. When we allow our feelings to control our prayer life, it is easy to slip into routines of apathy or ambivalence and plainly neglect prayer.
The disciples fell into this trap while in the garden as Jesus was going through His darkest hours. Twice, they fell asleep in a moment when prayer was critical. Take a look at Chapter 26 of Matthew.
Second is when we get discouraged and don’t see our prayers answered in the time and manner we hope for. It is imperative to remember we often only see a small portion of what is happening. This comes down to trust and faith. Chapter 10 of Daniel is a good reference for other factors that may affect our prayer life.
Third, is often the most dangerous. God has blessed and gifted us with many things - including intelligence. We think, ponder, and problem-solve continuously, which can quickly lead to self-reliance. Self-reliance is a facade - and one we must avoid at all costs. Use the mind and gifts God has given you, but regularly thank Him for those abilities. Make a habit of going to Him first and committing your plans to Him as you move through life. Take a look at James 4:13-15. Next time, we will look at some practical ways to overcome barriers.
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