Aimee Fuhrman

Last month we talked about how many of us find prayer difficult and attributed that to the enemy’s schemes to keep us from spending time in prayer. (If you missed that article, you can read it here.) But this month and next I’d like to look at some of the biggest hindrances to prayer in our mindsets and our day-to-day habits. More likely than not, you will find yourself identifying with one or more of these. Satan wants to bring condemnation in this. But take heart; you are not alone! Others, many others, have felt the same way you feel. And identifying the hindrances helps us to tackle them head-on through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hindrance #1–Unanswered prayers

We’ve all been there–down on our knees, fervently begging God for the salvation of a loved one, the return of a wayward child, the mending of a broken marriage, or the healing of a physical malady. We muster all the faith we’ve got and pour out our heart to God…only to be met with seeming silence. The prayer goes “unanswered,” and our faith wanes. Stack a few of these “unanswered” prayers on top of each other, and doubt creeps in. Is God there? Is He listening? Does prayer work? Leave doubt to fester, and a steely cynicism creeps in, crusting our heart in a protective shield of wariness toward the very One who is our source of hope and life.

Paul E. Miller in his book A Praying Life writes:

Few of us have…courage to articulate the quiet cynicism or spiritual weariness that develops within us when heartfelt prayer goes unanswered. We keep our doubts hidden even from ourselves because we don’t want to sound like bad Christians. No reason to add shame to our cynicism. So our hearts shut down.

I’ve been there–shut down because of unanswered prayers, hurting and doubting, living in cynicism and trying to avoid looking it in the face because I don’t want the shame that will come with it. Maybe you’ve been there too. Maybe you’re there now. Maybe it’s time to look that cynicism in the face and call it what it is. Repentance brings healing.

Hindrance #2–Insincerity

Theoretically, the body of Christ should be our support system. Our brothers and sisters should be the ones we turn to to bear our burdens, carrying our concerns to Jesus and agree with us for our needs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. We’ve all experienced the scenario where we get up the courage to be vulnerable only to have someone listen halfheartedly, nod, and say, “I’ll pray for you.” But we doubt their sincerity or their commitment to actually carry our need to the Father.

Or perhaps you’ve been on the insincere side of this scenario. You didn’t give enough attention or compassion to a hurting brother or sister. You threw them a glib phrase to placate your guilt. Or maybe you actually meant well but never got around to acting on your promise, making it an empty one.

Miller addresses all of this, continuing his discussion of our cynicism when it comes to prayer:

The glib way people talk about prayer often reinforces our cynicism. We end our conversations with “I’ll keep you in my prayers.” We have a vocabulary of “prayer speak,” including “I’ll lift you up in prayer” and “I’ll remember you in prayer.” Many who use these phrases, including us, never get around to praying. Why? Because we don’t think prayer makes much difference.

But prayer does matter! God promises it does. James 5:16b says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (NKJV). And despite our experiences with “unanswered prayer,” Isaiah 59:1 tells us, “The LORD hasn’t lost his powerful strength; he can still hear and answer prayers” (CEV).

In the coming months we’ll examine strategies for combating these prayer problems, but for now, perhaps it is enough to recognize ourselves in these scenarios, to sit with the tension and angst of these feelings. Perhaps it is enough to acknowledge the problem and surrender it to our Savior. I hope these prayers help. . .

A Prayer for Doubt & Cynicism:

God, I don’t want my heart to shut down when it comes to talking to You, but if I’m honest I have developed an unspoken cynicism; I have become confused and hurt over unanswered prayers; I have become weary of praying. I admit this is where I’m at, Lord. This is where You’re going to have to meet me.

A Prayer for Insincerity:

Lord, I’ve been among those who doubt that prayer makes a difference. This is a lack of faith, so I confess that and repent. Grow my faith in You, Father–in Your loving kindness and faithfulness in all things. And change my heart so that I once again turn to You in every situation.

God, I also admit that I’ve told people I would pray for them and then never have. I repent of this as well. Give me an honest heart and lips. When I tell someone I will pray for them, Holy Spirit, bring them to my mind so I remember to do so. And help me discipline myself to stop and actually pray when You speak to me.

Just a reminder that you are invited to join us for corporate prayer any of these times:

• Sunday mornings 8:30-9:15 a.m., room 204 – all church prayer
• Tuesdays during the lunch hour (12:00-12:15 p.m.) online – all church prayer, connect here.
• 3rd Wednesday of every month 7:00-7:30 p.m., room 204 – parents of teens

If you’d like to get your own copy of A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller, you can order it on Amazon here.

Until next month…I’m praying for you,

Aimee Furhman

Prayer…Is it a sweet comfort you look forward to every day–one that is a part of your daily life? Or does it conjure feelings of guilt or dread? I’ve had those feelings too! Though most would describe me now as a “prayer warrior,” I wasn’t always one. Not so many years ago I struggled to pray.

Many, if not most, Christians find prayer difficult at some level. David Powlison, in his forward to A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller, says:

It’s hard to pray. It’s hard enough for many of us to make an honest request to a friend we trust for something we truly need. But when the request gets labeled as “praying” and the friend is termed “God,” things often get very tangled up.

And even if we’re good at making requests of God, other forms of praying may feel stilted. That’s because, for many of us, prayer has become a “production,” as Powlison labels it. We think it has to last for a certain amount of time or include Christian verbiage or formulaic elements we’ve been taught. And so prayer becomes a “discipline” at best, or, for most of us, a chore in reality. Couple that with the notion most of us hold that Christians “should” pray, and we often experience some level of guilt with our non-prayer saturated lives. No wonder we don’t want to engage!

Some of the more motivated of us may attempt to change ourselves. Perhaps prayer becomes a New Year’s resolution. “I’ll do better this year,” we convince ourselves. But, like most New Year’s resolutions, we start strong but find ourselves derailed by mid-January (if we’re lucky).

Yet prayer, as we cognitively know, is just talking with a friend. It shouldn’t be difficult or onerous. So why do we struggle?

I think the answer lies in the fact that every single person who accepts Jesus’ free gift of salvation is engaged in a raging battle (whether we’re aware of it or not). When you were transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved son (Colossians 1:13), Satan lost the battle for your soul. Now his goal in your life is to wreck as much havoc as he can, derailing you and preventing you from experiencing the joy and victory Jesus purchased for you.

Prayer is one of our primary weapons against the enemy, so Satan is going to do everything in his power to keep us from engaging in it. He effectively uses all kinds of lies and distractions to interfere in your connection with God and your victory over the darkness.

“So what do I do?” you might ask. In this case the standard Sunday school answer works!

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ…

2 Corinthians 2:14a, NASB

Jesus is our battle commander and has given us everything we need to engage our enemy and come out victorious! Not only this, but He’s given us His Spirit to indwell us and empower us. A powerful prayer life requires only a little training, some practice, and surrender to our commander. Truly.

This year one of the pastors’ goals for our church body is to focus on prayer together. We’ll learn and grow in our skills as spiritual warriors. We’ll grow our prayer muscles and develop hearts and habits toward prayer. We’ll encourage one another and keep each other accountable.

Every month you’ll receive a prayer blog from me to encourage you and provide insight and tools toward growth. I’ll be loosely following Paul E. Miller’s book A Praying Life. It is one of the best resources I’ve found on understanding and engaging in prayer. I highly recommend you get a copy and read it for yourself! You can order it on Amazon here.

We’ll also have an increased number of opportunities for you to pray with fellow believers. This provides practice (remember I said you’ve got to develop your prayer muscles!) and accountability. It also has the added benefit of covering our church in prayer, so the enemy can’t work havoc here! Currently, these opportunities exist for corporate prayer:

• Sunday mornings 8:30-9:15 a.m., room 204 – all church prayer
• Tuesdays during the lunch hour (12:00-12:15 p.m.) online – all church prayer, connect here
• 3rd Wednesday of every month 7:00-7:30 p.m., room 204 – parents of teens

God wants you walking in victory, and He wants a sweet and personal relationship with you! But this doesn’t come by trying harder. It comes by cooperating with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in your life. The above are just tools to help you do this. The real work comes through humility and surrender. May this prayer be the beginning of that journey for you:

Lord, I want to grow in my relationship with You and in my prayer walk. I don’t want to try to change myself anymore; I just want to be real and honest with You. I know You want me to walk in victory over the schemes of the devil, so I surrender to You. Holy Spirit, do the transforming work in this area of my life.

Until next month…I’m praying for you,
Aimee Fuhrman