Why Prayer is so Hard.
Why, it is hard to pray is because it is difficult to humble ourselves, overcome our pride, and overcome our sinful nature. We die to ourselves when we pray, and death is painful. That is why our flesh is so hostile to prayer. When we pray, we are fighting against our flesh as well as the flaming arrows of our accuser and his host (Satan). The devils are not afraid of us, but they are terrified of the Lord Jesus Christ, who lives within us and is for us, and they despise the fact that we pray to the Lord One who crushed them and will destroy them. Satan understands that if he can keep God's people from praying, he can undermine their effectiveness for God's Kingdom.
The Bible describes prayer as a divine and uniquely powerful weapon. Consider some of the things that the Bible claims prayer alone can accomplish changing circumstances, curing the sick, and controlling the forces of nature. Prayer has resurrected the dead. It keeps us awake, sober, protects us from temptation, and relieves our concerns and frustrations. Possibly most significantly, prayer can harm the enemy by limiting his activity and rescuing captives from his camp.
In the world in which we live, greater weapons are utilized. We possess a superior weapon is Prayer, but it is not always used. We are capable of communicating with God, yet we do not. We never pray. Why? Simply because prayer is so difficult. The forces of evil will go to any length to prevent us from praying.
Satan uses fear as a weapon to disrupt our faith. He wants us to question and doubt everything God says to us. If he can get us to the point of unbelief, he can move us away from trusting God. God is the very essence of love, however; when we’re in Him, we’re safe from the emotional damage fear can inflict. [“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).]
Fear is from the devil, and it’s the enemy to our faith. It directly contradicts the Word. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”(2 Timothy 1:7). When we’re afraid to do something we know we should do, that’s the time we must stop and reflect on this Scripture. Meditating on it gives us strength and courage.
Satan deceives us in order to keep us from praying. He keeps us from praying by using pleasures, misinformation, and our laziness. He keeps us from praying by using false teachers, busy schedules, and great television, Nowadays, YouTube and social media.
Let me give you a few reasons why the devil will tell you not to pray.
1 God already knows what you need. No point in asking.
2 You are unworthy.
3 You are weak.
4 Your faith is small.
5 You have no idea whether God will answer your prayers or not.
6 You don't know how to pray.
7 Your sins can block your prayers.
true statements Satan uses to put a stop to the most powerful force in the world, the prayers of God's people...
Satan hates prayer because prayer:
1) Prayer Has Great Power (James 5:13-17)
2) Prayer Brings glory to God (Revelation 5:8-9; 8:3-4)
Let us see what bible words says about the reasons of devil.
"God already knows what you need."
In Matthew 6:8, Jesus said, "For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." And what did He do then? Proceeded to give us the Lord's Prayer.
That God already knows my need is no excuse to get out of prayer; it's motivation to pray.
"You are unworthy."
Psalm 130:3 tells us if the Lord should mark iniquities, no one would stand.
God is not dealing with perfect people. All have sinned; there is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10,23).
So, being unworthy is no excuse.
"You are weak."
I am that. However, there's good news. "He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in your weakness.... When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
So, being weak is no excuse.
"Your faith is small."
It is that. But in Luke 17:6 Jesus says even faith as small as a mustard seed can achieve miracles. So the question becomes not how big my faith is, but whether I use it. Jesus asked the panicked disciples, "Why did you fear? Where is your faith?" (Mark 4:40)
Having a small faith is no excuse. Like to radioactivity, a small amount of faith can have a large impact.
"You do not know whether the Lord will answer your prayers."
That's true, because He is all-wise and I'm not. I see through a glass darkly and pray just that poorly. But ultimately, I say, "Not my will, but Thy will be done" (Matthew 26:39).
I'm perfectly content to send up my prayers and leave the answering of them to the Lord. What I must not do is announce presumptuously that the Lord "will" or "must" grant my prayer since His integrity is at stake. Psalm 115:3 says, "Our God is in the Heavens; He does whatever He pleases." And knowing His wonderful character, that's what I want.
So, not knowing how He will answer is no reason not to pray. I trust Him.
"You don't know how to pray."
That's frequently the case. However, we have Romans 8:26. "In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
Since the Lord takes my feeble attempts at prayer and turns them into something powerful in Heaven, my not knowing precisely how to pray is no excuse. Believers take special satisfaction in knowing that in Romans 8:26 the Spirit intercedes for us and in Romans 8:34, Jesus intercedes for us.
"Your sins can block your prayers."
That's exactly what Isaiah 59:2 says. "Your iniquities have separated you from God and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear...." However-and don't we delight in this!-"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of our iniquities" (John 1:9). So, there is no excuse for any of us to go forward one more minute with sins weighing us down (Hebrews 12:1) and blocking our prayers.
So, if genuine prayer is so wonderful, why is it so difficult for me?
Is it hard for you to pay attention when praying? I hope I’m not the only one. I admit that for me, invisible, formless, shapeless beings are hard to focus on. There are times I have gotten the feeling that maybe I’m talking to the ceiling. Satan is evidently highly skilled at predicting human behavior based on years of practice. He can anticipate what you might do or how you might react in a given situation without knowing your thoughts.Prayer is difficult, but it is also rewarding.
In Daniel 10:10-14, we learn that Daniel’s ardent prayers were delayed by demonic powers. We should expect the same, and not be discouraged when we pray and don’t see immediate answers. There are spiritual forces at work behind the scenes that we clearly don’t understand. But we do know that God is omnipotent, and not threatened in the least by Satan’s power. The only power Satan possesses is that which God has given to him (Luke 4:6).
Prayer demands discipline.
I met one Christian who no longer pray because they were let down. Their experience was not what they had hoped for. The bottom line is that you must approach prayer as a discipline first and foremost, rather than as an experience.
I hope that doesn't come as a surprise to you, because most of the good things in life are learned through discipline. Discipline produces knowledge. Discipline leads to physical fitness. Discipline is required for any talent. Prayer is a spiritual discipline not only because it is required to walk with the God, but we also need prayer to align us with God.
Prayer requires humility i like to think I'm pretty smart. I see how my issues could be resolved. I know how I want my future to look. I even dare to tell God how I believe I can best serve Him. I must humble and discipline myself before the only One who truly knows what is best.
The world bombards us with entertainment, emails, news, social media, and other distractions. But it's all noise and distraction that prevents me from hearing God's voice. I have to be intentional about keeping the laptop closed, the TV turned off, and my heart and mind focused on the Creator.
We have reduced prayer to a ritual that we perform before a meal, bedtime,or when we need something that we cannot obtain on our own.
If I seek God's will or ask Him to meet a need and then fail to do what He says, I effectively cut off communication with Him. My lack of obedience indicates to God that I do not believe His way is the best way. That I believe I can do better myself. Obedience demonstrates my trust and reliance while also strengthening the relationship.
Prayer will begin as a discipline. Let's be honest - we're short on discipline.
True prayer is simply expressing my needs to God and allowing Him to meet them in His own way. True prayer seeks God's mind and will rather than changing God's mind to do my will. My prayer goal should be to allow God to change my heart and mind to reflect His will.
May the Lord grant us humility and discipline in order to fulfill His desires in our lives. Amen.