1. Frontline Prayer: Richard Dehaan told of a soldier who was doing sentry duty on the front line in WWI. After being relieved of duty, as a Christian, he wanted to pray, to thank God for protecting him, & to ask for His continued protection.
But the enemy lines were very close, & he couldn’t go far, so he just walked a little ways away from where he had been standing guard, knelt & began to pray aloud.
The sentry who replaced him heard his voice & thought he was speaking to someone in the enemy lines. So he reported him. The officer in charge said, "You’ve been accused of revealing secrets to the enemy. How do you respond?"
The soldier said, "It’s not true. I wasn’t doing that." The officer replied, "Then what were you doing when you were out there facing the enemy & talking?" He said, "I was praying."
"You were praying out loud?" "Yes, I was." The officer said, "Show me. Pray right now."
So the young man knelt & prayed. And when he finished the officer dismissed the charges. "Because," he said, "nobody can pray like that unless he has been practicing."
2. Prayer is an on-going conversation with God (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
3. We know that prayer is important
• 2 Timothy 2.1-4
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• Luke 11:1-4 (Teach us to pray)
• Acts 6:4
• David often “inquired of the LORD” whereas Saul did not
4. Yet, there are times when I don’t feel like praying – Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
5. Why? What can we do?
I. Sometimes We Don’t Feel Like Praying [From Daniel Henderson article, “Four Reasons You Don’t Feel Like Praying and Four Keys to Breakthrough,” at Strategic Renewal.com]
A. Because of the Battle with the Flesh
1. “Prayerlessness is our Declaration of Independence from God.” (D. Henderson)
2. Weakness – Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
3. Our Inner Conflict – Romans 7:13-25, esp., verses 21-25
21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
4. Put on the whole armor of God – Ephesians 6:10-14; then, verse 18: 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
“Prayer is not a preparation for work, it IS work. Prayer is not a preparation for the battle, it IS the battle. Prayer is two-fold: definite asking and definite waiting to receive.” ~Oswald Chambers
• Prayer is Time-consuming – average preacher – 10 minutes/day
• Prayer is Emotionally consuming
• Prayer is Physically consuming (fatigue)
B. Because of a Broken Spirit
1. It happens to us with discouragement
2. Remember – Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
C. Because of the Enemy’s Attacks
1. Satan wants to keep us from prayer and its power
“No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it.” Guy King
2. Uses “Weapons of Mass Distraction” – phone calls; Social Media; the urgent over the important; Our Busyness
Charles Spurgeon:
“Sometimes we think we are too busy to pray. That is a big mistake, for prayer is saving of time. If we have no time, we must make time, for if God has given us time for secondary duties, He must give us time for primary ones; and to draw near to Him is a primary duty, and we must let nothing set it on one side.”
D. Because Prayer Feels Like a Chore not a Choice
1. Bad experiences at Prayer Meetings
2. Dave Butts – author and Chairman of America’s National Day of Prayer Committee – “The main reason people do not attend prayer meetings is because they have attended prayer meetings at their church.”
• Tradition over Bible
• Man-centered over God-centered
• Request-based over Worship-based
II. Breaking Through the Prayer Barrier
A. Maintain Pure Motives in Prayer
1. Jesus’ warnings in Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
2. These can become our excuses not to pray
3. Choose to pray properly by drawing near (James 4:8)
B. Begin with God
1. “When seems hardest to pray, pray the hardest.”
2. He is worthy to be sought
3. [Parents wanting to talk with children – how would they feel if the children turn away?
4. Don’t start with our wants – start with His worth via His Word – “The One who speaks first controls the conversation.”
5. Trust His promises
C. Act Our Way into Feeling It
1. Prayer is not a “mood.” It is our lifeline to all that is good and must be chosen above our feelings.
2. “Fake it ‘til you make it.” – Paul Faulkner [It is easier to act our way into feelings than feel our way into acting.]
3. [An author was once asked how he motivated himself to write. He replied, “I just start writing.” When the people began rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, it took them fifty-two days once they got started (Nehemiah 6:15).
D. Be Compelled by Community
1. Sometimes we pray privately – Nehemiah 1:4 (NKJV) 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
2. Community Prayers are important, too
• 120 Praying in Acts 1 (church began in a prayer meeting, not a preaching service)
• Praying for Boldness in Acts 4 – follows the pattern of the Model Prayer in Matthew 6:
o Reverence – Acts 4:24
o Response (kingdom come) – Acts 4:28
o Requests – Acts 4:29
o Readiness – Acts 4:29-30
• Praying for Peter as a church in Acts 12
• Paul and Silas in jail in Acts 16 (Acts 16:25 cf. Psalm 119:62)
3. Notice:
• Closet/Room – Matthew 6:6 . 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
[King’s Closet (KJV translation) – where the King would meet with Emissaries and his court – in private
• Model Prayer – no first person singular pronouns
4. Praying together gives us:
• Motivation
• Accountability
• Edification (especially when prayers are answered)
• Power –
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
Prayer is too often the last resort rather than the first resolve. Let’s change that!
