Unhindered Prayer

Superpower

If you could have 1 super power what would it be and why?

That’s a fun, and sometimes creepy, discussion to have in a group, isn’t it.

Would you have super strength, be able to fly, have stretchy arms and legs, or something creepy like invisibility or mind reading?

It can spark quite the debate on which is the best.

But what if someone was given a super power and yet they never used it, or never used it for anything helpful or good.

Like someone with super strength never using for saving someone or moving something helpful.

Or someone who could fly just driving in a car or fly on an airplane all the time.

That doesn’t make a whole lot of since does it?

Seems like a waste, like a misuse of a gift that could not only help them, but help so many others as well.

For those of us that are followers of Jesus, that is how we treat prayer.

Don’t misunderstand me. Prayer is no super power, but it is our access point, our line of communication with the all-powerful, creator whom we call God.

It is our access to His power, our avenue to His ear, and our path to a deeper connection to Him.

As Jeff shared last week, Prayer starts with us acknowledging our neediness and God’s bigness.

Prayer grows our relationship with our loving, personal God.

and Prayer allows us to participate in God’s mission and purposes for our lives and His world.

That isn’t a super power necessarily, but it is super powerful and something we would be foolish not to give ourselves to.

But the reality is that prayer is likely one of the weakest areas of spiritual discipline for most Christians.

That is why we are spending 2 weeks on it.

And it is why I want to spend the next few minutes uncovering the possible reasons our prayer lives are, as Peter says in 1 Peter 3:7, hindered.

Hinderances to Prayer

In studying for this sermon, I came across a sermon from the great 19th century preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, preached on September 13th, 1874.

I have used Spurgeon’s 3 main points as the outline of my sermon, with a small tweak to the third point for clarity.

His sermon was based off of 1 Peter 3:7

1 Peter 3:7 CSB

7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

And though Peter is speaking of a particular way our prayers might be hindered, the larger point is that prayer in the life of a believer can be hindered in a variety of ways and by a variety of factors.

But with such a vital and powerful discipline, how can we have and unhindered prayer life? That is our focus.

So what is it that hinders us from prayer?

The first, and most simple answer is the lack of prayer.

1) Hindered FROM Prayer

Spurgeon calls this “a general lax, lukewarm condition to the things of God. When a man becomes cold, indifferent, and carless” toward his pursuit of a relationship with God in prayer.

In a 2019 poll of 14,000 respondents, only 15% of the group said answered with an 8 or above on a 10 scale for how satisfied they were with their prayer life.

The root of our dissatisfaction is often in the frequency and consistency of our prayers.

How often do you spend time in intentional, focused, and uninterrupted prayer every day? Every week? every month? every year?

I don’t know the statistics, but my gut tells me (based off my own struggles to prayer consistently) that most of our answers would be sadly low.

I don’t say this to make us feel guilty. Guilt is a horrible motivator for spiritual discipline.

I point this out because there are reasons we are hindered FROM prayer (not praying)

And unless we expose the reasons and make efforts to overcome them, then nothing is going to change.

Here are a few (not an exhaustive list):

a) Busy and Preoccupied

We are all busy in some fashion. Whether it is work, managing a home, getting kids to and from all the activities, serving, fixing, cleaning, or whatever, there is a list that seems to never stop growing.

I have heard many a retired person say “I am busier now than when I worked.” So none of us are immune to a full schedule.

And with all the busyness, stopping to pray seems like a waste of time.

That sounds horrible to say, but if we really examine our hearts, that is what’s going on

So what is the answer, how do we overcome?

Intentionality and reliance

If we are going to pray, we are going to have to plan time to pray. It isn’t going to happen unless we do.

And we need to see prayer the way we see eating a meal or drinking water.

It isn’t something we can live without.

Luke tells us that Jesus would regularly take time to pray

Luke 5:16 CSB

16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.

He was intentional and He was reliant on prayer.

b) Lost for Words

Much like where do we start with reading the bible, we often struggle to know what we should pray for and/or the words we should use when we pray.

It is simple to say “Just talk to God like you would a friend.” But we aren’t talking to someone right in front of us, so that can be a challenge.

It is important to remember that God doesn’t need us to speak in a particular language or use certain words, we can be ourselves in prayer.

God has given us a guide to help us figure out what to pray and how to pray.

First, in the Psalms, there are 150 examples of prayers and songs we can use as a guide to know how to pray.

Find a version of the bible that uses words and vocab that you use and listen how David and the other Psalm writers prayed

Psalm 63 GNB

1 O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you. 2 Let me see you in the sanctuary; let me see how mighty and glorious you are.

Psalm 63 GNB

3 Your constant love is better than life itself, and so I will praise you. 4 I will give you thanks as long as I live; I will raise my hands to you in prayer. 5 My soul will feast and be satisfied, and I will sing glad songs of praise to you.

Psalm 63 GNB

6 As I lie in bed, I remember you; all night long I think of you, 7 because you have always been my help. In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. 8 I cling to you, and your hand keeps me safe. 9 Those who are trying to kill me will go down into the world of the dead.

Psalm 63 GNB

10 They will be killed in battle, and their bodies eaten by wolves. 11 Because God gives him victory, the king will rejoice. Those who make promises in God’s name will praise him, but the mouths of liars will be shut.

Jesus gave us an outline of prayer in Matthew 6:9-15, showing us how prayers include praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests for us and others.

The most helpful thing we can do to grow in prayer is to PRAY.

c) Feel Unfit

Psalm 66:18 CSB

18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Guilt and shame often make it hard to pray. We convince ourselves that God really doesn’t want to hear from us.

We forget that one of the most powerful ways to overcome guilt is through prayer.

Remember 1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

That is a promise that, through prayer, we can be freed to pray.

Our access to prayer isn’t determined by how well or our poorly we are living. (praise God!!)

Hebrews 4:15–16 CSB

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

Not only did Jesus secure access to God through His death, He also is able to sympathize with our weakness and our struggles with temptation. Who better to bring our struggles to than Jesus.

Jesus invites us to a life of abiding prayer in John 15

John 15:7 CSB

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

This isn’t a promise that we will get everything we ask for, but a promise that when we live in Him and His Word lives in us, we can pray in confidence and faith that He will hear and answer.

2) Hindered IN Prayer

It is possible to be intentional and disciplined in prayer and yet still be hindered.

Spurgeon is quite practical in his counsel here.

Pointing out the need to find a time and place that keeps the distractions and outside conditions from effecting your time in prayer.

Jesus modeled this in His finding quiet places to pray.

I read once about a mom who would pull her shirt over her head right in the middle of the kitchen and her kids all knew that mom was spending time in prayer and they were not to distract her.

Though the place and time matter, the reality is, regardless of place and time, we can be hindered IN prayer simply by the thoughts, worries, plans, and priorities in our minds and hearts.

How often do you sit down to read or to pray and your mind starts wondering to all the things you need to do or walking through a conversation that happened earlier in the day or week?

Again, this is quite practical, but just like a conversation with our spouse or a friend, prayer requires attentiveness and focus.

Following a plan, writing our prayers, speaking out loud, or whatever other methods you can use to stay attentive will aide in our praying.

Another, deeper level, hinderance IN our prayers is our own hearts and what flows from them.

James 4:1–3 CSB

1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you? 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

James and Peter agree here, our prayers, the content and the consequence of them, are influenced by our how we live and what we are living for.

Peter says a husbands prayers can be hindered by the way he treats His wife. The principle here is that how we order our priorities, care for those we are responsible for, and live in relationship with others can influence our prayer lives.

This may sound in opposition to the Hebrews 4 verse we read earlier, but it is not.

As believers, sin is never a hinderance to praying, in that our access to prayer isn’t hindered by sin, but our prayers are hindered by the sin in our lives.

That is why Jesus builds in confession and repentance into His model prayer in Matthew 6.

James is pointing more to the motives of our prayers. What are we seeking in our prayers?

Jesus says “whatever we ask” but He adds “in my name” and “according to my will”.

How many of our prayers are focused more on our comfort, safety, security, success, and avoidance of any form of suffering, rather than on God’s will, His glory, or His name being known and worshipped?

God isn’t opposed to us praying for health, safety, and success, but His plans and purposes for our lives aren’t always connected to those things.

John 14:13–15 CSB

13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.

Notice the progression of Jesus’s words, “ask IN MY NAME—> “so that THE FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED—> if you love me—-> you WILL KEEP MY COMMANDS.”

Our prayers will be a reflection of who and what we value in our hearts and who and what we put our faith in.

3) Hindered FOR Prayer

Spurgeon’s last point is a sobering one.

“The Lord will hear any man’s prayer who asks for mercy through the mediation of the Lord Jesus. He never despises the cry of the contrite, he is a God ready to hear all those who seek reconciliation; but concerning other matters it is true that God heareth not sinners— that is, while they remain sinners he will not grant them their wishes— indeed, to do so would encourage them in their sins. If they will repent and cry for mercy through Jesus Christ he will hear their cry, and will save them; but if they are not first reconciled to him their prayers are empty wind.”

The most important criteria of prayer is faith...saving faith in the Lord Jesus.

James 5:16 CSB

The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

James’s criteria for powerful prayer is righteousness, not self-righteousness gained by doing good works, but righteous given by faith in Jesus.

Prayer is not a request box or a menu we order what we want off of.

It is rooted in a relationship and is the way we deepen that relationship with the one who created us and saved us.

So without the relationship that comes by faith, who are we praying to?

As Jesus is closing out His instruction on how we are to pray, He says

Matthew 6:33 CSB

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Our prayers reflect the Kingdom we are seeking, whether it be our own kingdom and our own agenda or God’s kingdom and His purposes.

Saving faith in Jesus are what opens up access, motivates, guides, and empowers our prayers.

Hebrews 11:6 CSB

6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Are we seeking Him in our prayers?

Do they flow from faith?

Are we praying to a God we know, whom we love, and whom we desires to follow more closely?

Reflection

So if you do not have faith in Jesus this morning, your first step toward access to this super natural power in prayer is faith in the one who can and will save you from your sin.

The prayer God will answer for you this very moment is a prayer of surrender, a prayer of faith, receiving Him as your Lord and Savior.

For those of us who have received Him, may we not neglect the gift we have in prayer to know and experience the power and presence of our holy, righteous, kind, caring, and powerful Lord and Savior.

Are you neglecting this amazing gift?

As the band comes forward I want to encourage you to do a couple of things:

Think about a time and place you can pray at least a few times this week and commit to using that time this week.

Find a guide for you prayers (ACTS, PRAY, Lord’s Prayer...) and let that guide your time.

Write down prayer ideas, requests, and reflections.

Turn off your phone and fight against the distractions.