Lesson 21: Hindrances to Prayer

“I must avoid the errors that would hinder my prayers.”

To learn to guard against nine problems that make prayer less effective.

► What could keep a person’s prayer life from developing as it should?

In spite of the many reasons to pray[1] many people find it difficult to establish a deep and faithful prayer life. Here are some common but avoidable hindrances to prayer.

(1) Lack of Motivation

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35).

Some people don’t make time to pray, because they don’t see the importance of it. They feel that they are too busy to spend much time in prayer.

If a person often feels that he needs to get some worthwhile things done before taking the time to pray, or that he needs to shorten his prayer time so that he can get busy, he is not putting the right value on prayer.

A busy person neglects prayer because he feels that what he is doing is more important than what God is doing.

When you have prayed, you can do more than pray, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.

(2) Pride of Spirituality

The hypocrites… love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:5-6).

Have you ever been in a conversation when you realized that the person talking to you was really speaking for someone else to hear? How would that make you feel? You wouldn’t feel like it was a real conversation.

Sometimes when people pray they are not really talking to God but speaking for others to hear. They want others to approve of what they are saying. This is similar to the error of the hypocrites who prayed publicly just so that people would admire them. It would be the same mistake to want people to know how much you pray or how early you pray so they will admire you. This is spiritual pride and will hinder your relationship with God.

Jesus said that your main prayer time should be in a private place.

(3) Impersonal Prayer

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words (Matthew 6:7).

In pagan religions prayers are often repeated phrases. Pagans hope to manipulate their gods by impersonal, magical means.

God is not moved mechanically by our prayers. He is a Person. Therefore, we do not say phrases as if they have magical power in themselves. Don’t let your praying be impersonal.

(4) Unforgiveness

But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:15).

I desire then that in every place the men should pray… without anger (1 Timothy 2:8).

Your relationships with people affect your relationship with God. If you are unwilling to forgive others, then you cannot expect God to be forgiving to you. To forgive means to be willing for the penalty they deserve to be cancelled.

Without the grace of forgiveness, we cannot continue in a relationship with God.

(5) Unconfessed Wrong toward Others

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24).

Jesus said that a sacrifice to God should not be offered while you know you are guilty of wrong done to someone else. You should go make apologies and restitution if it is owed, then your sacrifice to God can be accepted.

We do not offer sacrifices the same as they did then, but we offer worship to God. If we want our worship to be acceptable to him, we must confess any wrong we have done to others.

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

A husband is to treat his wife as something valuable and fragile. If he is inconsiderate of her fragility, his prayers will be hindered.

The same principle applies to anyone else that you have power over. If you are unkind, oppressive, and inconsiderate of someone’s feelings and rights, God is not pleased with you, and it will be difficult for you to pray.

(6) Failure to Persist

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

According to the Greek tense of these verbs, the one who keeps asking will receive, the one who keeps seeking will find, and the one who keeps knocking will get the door opened.

Jesus was emphasizing persistence in prayer. Often people pray for something once or twice, then forget about it. They do not pray long enough even to discern if their request is according to the will of God.

Persist in prayer by using a list to remember needs you have resolved to pray about. A list helps you concentrate in prayer at times when you are tired or struggling with wandering thoughts.

Think about this: “I may not hear from God every day, but I make sure he hears from me every day.”

(7) Disobedience

And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him (1 John 3:22).

This verse shows that obedience is a basis for faith. Obedience shows that we love God, so it is essential to our relationship with him. Disobedience shows a lack of love for God which will hinder a prayer life.

(8) Sinful Motives

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (James 4:3).

A person with sinful desires cannot see things from God’s perspective and sincerely ask for what God sees as good. He desires the things of the world and tries to use God as a means of getting those things.

A Christian should be able to desire God’s best. The Holy Spirit will guide him to pray according to the will of God.

We must be willing to obey and be willing for him to satisfy our hearts in his own way.

(9) Unbelief

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

To not believe God’s promises is to distrust his character. A relationship with God in prayer increases our faith in him.

Sometimes people fail to deal with a hindrance and almost stop praying completely. These hindrances can all be avoided with God’s help.

A person should stop and look for the problem when he realizes he no longer has a desire to pray, or if he does not often feel spiritual life in his praying.

Share what has sometimes been a hindrance to your prayer life. Ask others to look at the list of potential hindrances and to share similarly.

► Make specific commitments aimed at resolving current hindrances.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for giving me the privilege of talking to you.

I want to please you in my actions toward others. I want to be humble and forgiving. I want to persist in prayer until you show me what you want to do about my request.

I want my motives to be honest and pure. I want to pray in faith for your will to be done.

Father, I value my time with you. Help me avoid the things that would hinder my relationship with you. Teach me how to pray.

Amen

Read 1 Timothy 2:1-8. From this passage, how would you describe the character of a person who can pray like God wants him to?