I have been helped by trying to answer the question, “Why is it so hard to pray?” The first thing that came to mind was some false conceptions in the world about prayer.
Hymn writers and poets have had too much sentiment (and written it) about prayer. They used to sing a hymn many years ago and the words went, “Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer.”
When we look into the scripture we don’t find anything mentioned about the “sweetness” of prayer, but do find just the opposite.
Heb 5:7 speaking of Christ it is said “In the days of His flesh when He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death… learned He obedience by the things which He suffered”.
Jesus also continued all night in prayer (Luke 6:12).
Luke 22:44 “Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood.
Judges 16:30, It was not “the sweet Hour of Prayer” for Samson, but it was victory at the cost of his life.
Daniel (Dan 6:10) prayed 3 times at the risk of his life.
Daniel 9:3 “Seek by prayer supplication, fasting, sackcloth and ashes” and confessed before God.
Abraham plead for Sodom (Ge 18:23-33).
Hannah prayed unto the Lord and wept sore (1Sa 1:).
There were times that David cried with a loud voice (as Jesus with “strong crying and tears”).
Dan 9:2-3 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.
There are a few things that make it hard to pray.
The spirit of independence and pride in self. We had to give in when we first decided and were willing to do that.
Ps 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer.
A little girl had an operation and had her appendix removed. After returning home she was telling different ones about it and when the sister worker visited there she started to tell her, but she got the wrong word and said the Dr. took out her independence. We all need our independence taken out.
A human heart of unbelief hinders prayer. Ro 11:32 , “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that He might have mercy upon all.” 1 Kings 18:41 Elijah prophesied that there was going to be rain. Then he bowed in prayer putting his head between his knees. Then sent his servant to look for the cloud. The servant returned and said, “There is nothing.” Elijah said, “Go again seven times.” At the seventh time he said, “Behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, the size of a man’s hand.” It wasn’t a very large evidence of God’s answer to Elijah’s prayer, but it was evidence.
Difficulty in forgiving and loving God’s demands to forgive. He can give a forgiving spirit. If God loved us to the extent that we love Him where would we be? The same re. Forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-22 “21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Peter had been hearing about forgiving. He had a question, but also ventured the answer. Seven is a special number with God, so he felt surely that would be the maximum and Jesus would be pleased with his generosity. Possibly he had been doing some adding up and if he could forgive an aggravating brother a couple more times that day, he had surely reached perfection. Peter realized when the answer came from Jesus how short he came. When we get an answer from Jesus we may not feel very great! If we had faith the size of a mustard seed it would be enough to cast the tree of forgiveness into the sea … of forgetfulness. If we can’t forgive our brother, our faith is less than a mustard seed.
Micah 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
The iniquity that’s in all our hearts. Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This verse tells us what iniquity is. The tendency to want our own way will hinder us to the end. Jesus prayed, “Thy will, not mine be done.” He prayed 3 times for the same thing (see Lu. 22:24) and no iniquity was found in him. God heard His prayer and God answered His prayer, but the answer was, “NO!” Jesus showed gracious acceptance to unanswered prayer. We need to so qualify all our prayers, as Jesus did and show the same acceptance to the will of God.
A thousand thoughts of little things come flooding into our minds. We must overcome these things. To pray is truly vital. What breath (Oxygen) is to our physical life prayer is to our spiritual life. Hymn 83, “In this world of woe and sighing, broken hearts are seeking rest…” The Philistines come into the fray also. 1 Samuel 23:1 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshing floors.
Lack of desperation. Do we truly realize our need and helplessness? If we did we would not lack in desperation in prayer. The Devil never wearies in using the World and Flesh against us and then directly gets involved. Remember, in our day he is cast out into the earth and has exceeding great wrath. He has nothing to lose now, so he is a worse enemy than in the O.T. Also, he has nothing to gain… only to hurt us and God.
Not willing for the cost. We read of many prayers of desperation and of those willing for the cost. Judges 11:30-36 “30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” He could have been well aware of the fact his beloved daughter would be first. “34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.”
Judges 11:37 “And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and BEWAIL MY VIRGINITY, I and my fellows.” It was her future of never having a husband or children that so concerned her. Her life doesn’t seem to be in question as human sacrifices were unknown in Israel. Even as Isaac, bound to the altar, he was as good as dead, but God has never took delight in human sacrifice, except He endured that of His own Son for our sake. Could we feel it cost God the Father even more than the Son? God hid His face from this scene. God couldn’t give more and He didn’t give less.
I don’t believe Jephthah’s daughter was burnt on a altar, but she was like a sister worker and never married Judges 11:39-40 “… she knew no man.” So it was a custom in Israel, Vs. 40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. Judges 11:37 Amp- footnote: “Lament the tragedy that marriage and children would be denied to her.” This was a major thing in that day. Nice that others were not taken up only with their children, but set aside 4 days in the year… like our conventions to encouraged the Workers and have fellowship with others like minded as us and get encouragement ourselves. It so encourages us to see the Workers so content in their place of living for others and yet no children or grandchildren of their own.
This single, virtuous lady likely accepted her lot and lived for others. This brings great contentment. The old Chinese proverb: If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap; If you want to be happy for a day go fishing; If you want to be happy for a month get married; If you want to be HAPPY FOR A LIFETIME LIVE FOR OTHERS.
Pray, supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, ashes
Prayer is like facing a battle field to find and talk with God. The threefold enemy is there; world, flesh and devil. The Philistines are there in full force.
The Devil trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees, but he doesn’t leave. The Devil is his own worst enemy, because his efforts against us drives us to God and to prayer.
James 4:7 [Full Chapter]
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
When the Devil reminds us of our past, remind him of his future!
How does the world make it hard for us to pray? It robs us of time and desire to pray. We must be willing to sacrifice precious time, not to just use spare time. The sweetness of Prayer comes after victory in prayer, not during prayer.
Our greatest foe is our flesh that rises up within. There are discouraging thoughts, desires, weaknesses and infirmities that could hinder us. Even our strength is against us if we are “strong in ourselves”.
Truth Archive 