Why We Don't Pray
20th January 2023
I wrote last week about the value of prayer, the privilege of talking to our heavenly Father, and the difference that prayer makes. I think all Christians believe that prayer is important and that it should be a joy, but I also think that most Christians find prayer much more difficult than they believe it should be. I believe that the main reason that Christians find prayer difficult is: the powers of darkness hate it when Christians pray.
Perhaps the difficulty we experience in praying is the most obvious demonstration that Satan and the demons exist, and hate us. If they were not at war with us, praying would be easy, but they will do all they can to prevent us praying, and if they fail, they will attempt to sabotage our prayers.
How many times have you decided to pray, but have then felt an urge to do something else - anything else? How many times have you suddenly thought: I need to vacuum the carpet; I need to write a letter; I need to put the dustbin out; I need to pay some bills. How many times have you suddenly felt a headache coming on, or you've felt stressed about something, or guilty about something, and you've decided to pray tomorrow instead? How often have you started to pray, and a thousand thoughts have come in to your mind? How many times have you felt so very unsettled, agitated, that it seems impossible to sit still for even five minutes?
If, rather than intending to pray, you'd intended to speak to your neighbour or family member, these things probably wouldn't have happened. They almost always only happen when you try to pray.
And when we do pray, we can soon find that we don't have any words. Then a little voice tells us that we can't pray, that we're useless at praying, that we might as well give up. But silent prayer is a beautiful and precious thing. It may well be that God isn't prompting us to use words because He would prefer us to be quiet in His presence, and find His peace, and hear His voice, fulfilling:
Psalm 46v10
Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth.
So let's agree that the main reason by far that we find praying difficult is because we're in a spiritual battle, and prayer is the front line of that battle. There's a reason why Paul's instruction:
Ephesians 6v18
... pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's
people.
comes at the end of a passage on the subject of spiritual warfare, which begins with the words:
Ephesians 6v10-12
... be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the
devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Every time you choose to pray, the enemy will choose to try to stop you. Our battle is not against flesh and blood; it's against the spiritual forces of evil.
Next week, I'll write about how to fight back.