Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer

If prayer is so vital, why is it often so hard? Beginners (and even seasoned believers) face obstacles: distractions, doubts, dryness, and impatience. The good news is that scripture offers guidance to overcome these challenges.

Distractions Fighting the Busy Mind

Jesus often withdrew to solitary places to pray. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 NIV

When the distractions come, try and pray early before everyone gets up. One thing that has helped me is that I journal my prayers. I have a journal that I will record what I pray for and if God gives me scriptures I record them in my prayer journal. Sometimes he will give me a direction for something I have been praying for I will write all that He tells me during my prayer time. This way I can keep track of my prayers, and I can clearly know what God is showing me and how He is directing my life.

Sometimes I will sit and pray out loud when the distractions cause me to loose focus. I then can refocus my mind back into my prayers and focus on what I am praying.

We all go through times of distractions, this is one way the enemy gets us off balance and is able to stop us from praying. The phone will not stop ringing, the baby is still crying, the house is a mess and all I can think about is how messy it is. These are a few ways that can stop us from focusing during our prayer time.

I will also pray this little short prayer before I really start praying and it works! ” Lord, my life is going so fast and my mind is distracted. Please stop the noise in my mind and help me to focus on you during this time of prayer. I love you and love my time with you but right now things are distracting me, I need your help to focus. I thank you Lord, Amen.” This short little prayer has helped me so much.

Doubt Does God Really Hear Me?

Doubt, this is a big one! We all face doubt we wonder does God hear me. Is God really there, Will God really answer my prayers? The enemy has used this on all of us, because it works. He is a master at planting doubt in the believers mind. We have to cast down this doubt and all the arguments that the enemy puts in our mind and bring every thought captive. Sounds easy right? Well it’s no! We have to learn how to use the Word of God as our sword and weapon to defeat the enemies attacks.

Here is a verse we can turn into a prayer to bring our thoughts captive. ” inasmuch as we refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ the Messiah, the anointed One.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 AMPC

Dryness When Prayer Feels Empty

We all go through this. When we feel that our prayer don’t even reach the ceiling. Dry seasons are normal. I have found that when I am in a dry season I just pray scripture. I know you are asking how do I do that? I will go to the Psalms and pray some of the Psalms to get me started off in prayer. David wrote a lot of his prayers he prayed for us in the Psalms. David was very good at strengthening himself in the Lord and that is what we have to do to. Praying the Psalms helps a lot to get rid of the dryness in my prayers.

Check out this Psalm, Psalms 13.This is a really good one. Here David asks the Lord how long will you forget me? David pours his heart out to the Lord, then at the end his demeanor changes. That is what we want to do change our thought pattern around. At the end David is praising God for who he is and what the Lord has done for David.

Impatience Waiting on God’s Timing

This is a big one! We always what things now! we have to realize God is above time and sees the end and the beginning of our life at the same time. This gives Him a totally different perspective on our life.

He can see that if He gives us things when we want it it will cause havoc at that time, but if we wait for a season it will be much better for us and cause peace in our lives. We have to learn to have strength and know that God is working everything out for our benefit. He isn’t ignoring us He is just ordering our lives into what creates a beautiful, fulfilling life where God becomes the center and not the after thought.

In Isaiah 40: 31 He promises to strengthen those who wait on Him to fashion their lives. The delays we have in life will be hard to go through but they will create the best outcomes for us, even though we can’t see it when we are walking it out. Every delay is an invitation to trust God and His timing.

Obstacles don’t mean our prayers aren’t working. It just means we are completely human. When we press through the doubts, dryness, and all the delays it develops a deeper faith and a greater intimacy with God.