Essays
What's Hindering You?
What’s hindering you?
While there may be a number of things that work to hinder our prayers, some hindrances are spelled out clearly in the Scriptures.
Our sins can build a barrier between us and our God (Isa.59:1 & 2). When we as God’s children give sin a dwelling place in our lives we can be certain that “the Lord will not hear us” (Ps.66:18). Sometimes our sinfulness manifests itself in the form of selfishness. The apostle James warns that we might ask and yet not receive, because we are asking with wrong motives - - in order to spend “it” on our own pleasures (Js.4:3). Sometimes our selfishness might show itself in our hard-heartedness. When we close our ears to the cry of the poor, God will refuse to hear our cry for help (Prov.21:13). Jesus shows us the proper approach to praying. Even on the night before His cru-cifixion on behalf of the sins of the world, and even as “the only begotten from the Father” - - it was never about Him. He punctuated His prayer with, “yet not My will but Thine be done” (Lk.22:42). If your prayers are predominately and continually focused on yourself, YOU YOURSELF MIGHT WELL BE THE REASON FOR YOUR PRAYERS GOING UNANSWERED.
Our prayers can also be hindered by our own unforgiving spirit. If we do not forgive others, dare we expect God to forgive us (Mk.11:25-26)? It is fruitless for us to bring a gift to the altar, while all the while maintaining an unforgiving heart toward a brother or sister (Mt.5:23-24).
When we refuse forgiveness to others or ignore serious issues between us, our gift will not be acceptable.
Further-more, when we fail to replicate forgiveness for others - - after God has forgiven us so very much - - we can be certain that God is not at all pleased by our actions (Mt.18:23-35). In fact, such behavior results in stirring the anger of the Lord (Mt.18:34).
When our homes are havens of rest & peace and serenity & stability it serves to lubricate the pipeline in our communication with The Almighty. Through the pen of the apostle Peter, God instructs husbands to honor their wives … so that your prayers may not be hindered (1Pet.3:7). In plain words, to mistreat one’s wife is to box out God. If it is our earnest desire for the God of Heaven to hear and heed our prayers, then we must take seriously His charge for us to nourish and cherish our wife. We can wring our hands and whine continuously about prayers that seemingly go unanswered, but the solution might well be to look candidly into the mirror of God’s word and straighten up and fly right.
Terry Siverd / Cortland Church Of Christ
Share Online
