Prayerlessness

Reasons for prayerlessness

Unbelief

Psalm 14:1–4 NASB95

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. Do all the workers of wickedness not know, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call upon the Lord?

See also Ro 3:11; Job 21:15

Self-reliance

Jeremiah 17:5 NASB95

Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.

See also Zep 3:2

Worship of other gods

Deuteronomy 32:17–18 NASB95

“They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread. “You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.

See also Je 2:5–6:8

Guilt as a result of disobedience

Ge 3:9–12 Adam and Eve did not respond to their sin by praying. On the contrary they sought to hide from God; Jon 1:1–6 Jonah tried to run away from God.

Tiredness

Luke 22:45 NASB95

When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,

See also Mt 26:40; Mt 26:43–45

Discord in relationship

1 Peter 3:7 NASB95

You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Examples of prayerlessness

Joshua, after a great victory

Jos 7:2–5 Joshua devised his own plan in attacking Ai and did not seek the Lord until after he suffered a disastrous defeat.

King Ahaziah, turning to idols

2 Kings 1:16 NASB95

Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’ ”

See also 2 Ki 1:1–6

The nominal religion of Israel

Is 43:22 This verse implies that prayer involves effort--the people only paid lip service to God.

See also Is 1:14; Is 64:7

Israel trusts in other people rather than God

Is 30:1–2; Is 31:1

Israel’s failure to repent of their sins

Daniel 9:13 NASB95

“As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.

See also Je 5:3; Is 9:13

The lack of an intercessor among God’s people

Ezekiel 22:30 NASB95

“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

Consequences of prayerlessness

Alienation from God

John 15:6 NASB95

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

See also Ps 73:27

God’s judgment

Zephaniah 1:4–6 NASB95

“So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests. “And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”

See also Je 10:21

Disloyalty to Jesus Christ

Mt 26:74 Peter had previously failed to pray in Gethsemane.

Spiritual poverty

James 4:2 NASB95

You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

See also Je 2:5; 2 Ki 17:15

Ineffective ministry

1 Sa 2:12 This literally means they had no fellowship with the Lord; 1 Sa 12:23; Jn 15:4–5

Conflicts with others because of unfulfilled desires

James 4:1–4 NASB95

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.