The Christian knows there is great power in prayer - “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). We have great assurance in prayer - “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). Despite these promises, some Christians admit they don’t pray as often as they should. Why not?
1. We’re busy. Many of us live with deadlines and demands made on our time. Our schedules are filled before the day has begun. Sacrifices must be made to meet the demands of the day. Prayer gets moved to the “stand-by” list and, often, there isn’t any room left at the end of the day.
Jesus shows us how to handle this problem. He was a busy man, with many demands made of His time and attention, but He made prayer a priority in His life. “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). “However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:15-16). We find the time to do the things we want to do. We make the time to do the things that are necessary and important. Let’s make time for prayer.
2. Lack of faith. Prayer is an exercise of faith: we are speaking to a God we have never seen; we can’t see Him hear and respond to our prayers. Faith empowers our prayers, while doubt kills our prayers. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7).
Faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17). Spending time reading how God answers prayers in the Bible will bolster our confidence in God’s willingness and ability to answer our prayers.
3. We don’t live with a spiritual awareness. We know God exists, but don’t consider how He can be involved in our day-to-day lives. We deprive ourselves of God’s help and are left to our own resources to make it through our lives.
God is not far away. “‘Am I a God near at hand,’ says the Lord, ‘And not a God afar off?’” (Jer. 23:23). Where can we go from His presence (Ps. 139:7)? He is near to His people (Acts 17:27), ready and willing to answer our prayer (Ps. 34:15). However, He is waiting to hear our prayer.
4. We’re doing well on our own. Some Christians view prayer like a fire extinguisher – use only in case of emergency. Prosperity can be a formidable spiritual enemy. How often do we pray if there isn’t an urgent need driving us to our “prayer closet”?
Ingratitude is one of the first steps taken away from God. “Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom. 1:21, emphasis mine - HR). Sometimes peace and prosperity end up being a greater test of our faith than problems and persecution.
5. We haven’t really learned how to pray. “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples’” (Luke 11:1). Christians naturally have a desire to communicate with their Father. However, effective prayer is a skill that must be learned.
Jesus honored this request by giving the model prayer (Luke 11:2-4). He also taught by His example. The Bible is filled with recorded prayers offered by God’s people. Many of the Psalms are petitions, praise, and thanksgiving offered to God. As we study these passages, we learn more about how to best express our hearts to God in our personal prayers.
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus gave a parable “that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” Unlike the unjust judge who finally granted a persistent widow’s request, God stands at the ready to help His people. We can trust in His desire to hear and answer our prayers. The Lord ends this parable with a sobering question: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” That is, when Jesus returns, will He find that His people have given up on prayer? Let us “continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2).