Prayer is a vital part of our walk with The Lord. There are different types of prayer shown throughout The Scripture. King David has many of his prayers recorded in The Bible. We read how he praised the Lord, confessed sin, and cried out about his troubles, asking God to hear his prayers and to not be silent. While we often hear about prayer, did you know that there are some hindrances and obstacles to our prayers?
I have listed a few:
Wavering faith. If we doubt God’s character or dependability it will often cause our prayer to be non-effective. We can never allow our feelings do dictate our faith. The bible tells us to walk by faith not by sight. We must always go back to what God’s Word says about His character and His ability and not go by how we feel.
Wrong motives. ( James 4:3). Petitions motivated by selfish desires won’t receive an affirmative answer. God wants us to pray for His will to be done-not ours.
Conflict in relationships. Being resentful or argumentative with others will affect communication with the Father. It can begin to clog the channel of us hearing him clearly.
Indifference. ( Proverbs 28:9). Apathy to the Scriptures is another stumbling block. God has given us the Bible so that we might know Him and serve Him wholeheartedly. Failure to read and apply His Word consistently will diminish our ability to pray effectively.
It takes effort and commitment to develop a strong prayer life, but the rewards are great. If your prayers have not been answered, consider which, if any, of the above issues may need correction or re-alignment in your life. Then, start by personalizing the prayers you read in the Psalms or elsewhere in God’s Word.
Blessings,
Pastor Keith
