Hindrance to prayer

Call to Prayer

Title: Hindrance to prayer

By: Simon Maina Nuhu

Date: 24.12.2022

”If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:’‘ (Psalms 66:18)

”For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Prayer is a sacred communication between the mortal and the immortal, it is a bond of unity through certain covenants between the natural and the divine. So many people, religions, and cultures regard and understand prayer differently, according to the structure they are built with. But as for the children of God, we see prayer as not just a communication that comes out of necessity, but it is the very foundation of our relationship with God, it is a supreme tool we have to connect with our heavenly Father. Nonetheless, there is a need for us to understand that, as we pray, we don’t pray to God as if He must accept our terms and conditions. If we are to obtain His mercy of coming to His presence, we must be willing to prioritize His terms and conditions only and put them above ours. We need to do away with certain things that render our prayers void before Him, these are;

Unforgiveness is a stubborn act of not letting go of offence, grudge, misunderstanding, or something bad done to oneself by people. It is unmerciful behavior over people who did wrong out of sometimes ignorance, ego, or intentional hurt. God is merciful and ever-forgiving, He forgives us daily on all counts of our numerous sins and charges us to forgive also. But if we refuse to forgive others that hurt us, He will also not forgive us, nor will He hear our prayers. If we don’t forgive, whether little or great hurts, it is unfortunate that all the prayer and fasting, going to mountains and valleys, doing good to others, and performing worship are all a waste! You may say it is hard but remember God will not ask of you anything without provision for the grace to do it… “My grace is sufficient for thee…” 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Complaints are one of the hindrances to our prayers, when we come before Him, we should acknowledge that having the privilege to present our problems before Him is an undeserving opportunity, therefore, we humble ourselves and worship Him instead. Many of the Israelites died in the wilderness as a result of their persistent complaints and unbelief. Most importantly, we thank Him for whatever situation we find ourselves in (Philippians 4:6-7). Doing so will attract His grace and mercy over the situation no matter how bad it was.

Pride is a detestable and one bad nature that God ultimately hates. Coming before the Almighty God with a heart full of pride, self-defense, self-conceit, and self-esteem takes away the grace of God. When we come before Him, we humble ourselves that we are nothing without Him. God does not answer prayers offered from the place of pride because He hates it (Proverbs 8:13).

Prayer point:

Let’s thank God for the word today and ask Him to give us the grace to forgive and help us get rid of things that hinder our prayers.