Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

Prayer HindrancesDr. Herbert R. Hays,Pastor of Clarinda, Iowa R. P. ChurchMany books have been written about prayer—Howto pray and get the answer, How to know God's will—What to pray for— to name only a few of the subjectscovered. One of the more recent books which has come tothe writer's hand is Prayer-the most powerful force in theworld.Such a title raises the question: "Is prayer the mostpowerful force in the world" or is it the connecting linkwith the "most powerful force" in the world? We pray - orgo through the form and nothing happens. What iswrong? Or we just simply go along our way amid the trialsof life and fail to pray? Why? That is the subject of thisdiscussion, Prayer Hindrances. I take this in its broadestsense, hindrances to answered prayer and hindrances tothe exercise of prayer.There is no need for me to write these down, for youall know some if not all of them. In a discussion of thesubject in a prayer meeting, every hindrance mentionedhere was named in that meeting. It is our hope in writingthis article that each one of us will face up to the hindrancesin his own life and by the grace of God, do his bestto overcome just as many as possible.LACK OF A CONSCIOUSNESS OF NEEDPrayer arises out of a sense of need. When we haveno special need, we seldom pray for anything specific. Ourpetitions are for things in general. We are rather welltaken care of in the world today as far as personal needsare concerned. We could spend considerable time inprayer just thanking God for the things which we receiveand enjoy every day.But there are needs which this world cannot supply.A personal need quite common among Christian people inthis materialistic world in which we live is to be able tofollow the injunction of Paul and set our affections onthings above and to seek those things which are eternal. Acertain man on his deathbed, who had been an elder in thechurch for many a year, said to his pastor, addressing himby name, "It is so hard to let go of this world." Surely thisis a great need in the life of each one of us. We become sotied to this world and the things that are in it that it is agreat shock to face the fact that "here we have no continuingcity." Is this a need in your life? Are you soconscious of it that you are driven to pray earnestly thatyou will not become bound by earthly things? Pray thatyou may be able by God's grace to look for Christ'scoming for you with exceeding great joy.Through a failure to engage others in religiousconversation, we are unconscious of the spiritual needs ofothers; hence, we know not how to pray for them. Theletters we have been receiving from Cyprus and Japanwith specific items for prayer, have been a great help inthe lives of those who have received them and used themin praying for our missionaries and the mission work.This leads us to another Prayer Hindrance, and thatisLACK OF CONCERNIt is so easy for us to be wrapped up in ourselvesthat we fail to concern ourselves with the needs of others.We become so like an ingrown toenail that it is painful.The letters from our missionaries make us conscious oftheir needs and stir us to a concern for their welfare andwork. Too often we are content to pray "Thy kingdomcome" and go about our daily business and do nothingabout it. In the light of this attitude of unconcern, anotherPrayer Hindrance looms large in our lives.LAZINESSA man went to the doctor, and as the doctor beganhis examination, the man told the doctor when hediagnosed the case not to use his highly technical languageto describe it but to speak in plain words. After a thoroughexamination, the doctor said,"Well, it looks to me just likea dose of plain laziness."The patient quickly said, "Doctor, what's thetechnical name for it?"That is right, we don't like to talk about this particularhindrance but how else can we better describe ourprayer life? Prayer is hard work. To prove it to yourself trychanging the form of the petitions which you pray everyday. Try changing the expressions of some of the petitionswhich have cut the rut in your prayer life so deep it willtake a sixteen-foot ladder to get out of it. This will not bean easy exercise but it will be a profitable one in yourspiritual life. Try adding some new petitions to yourregular daily prayers and see what an exercise this is. Doyou pray for our President? What do you pray for, God'sblessings? What do you want God to do for him? Trynaming a few of the things you would like to see happen tohim; or some of the things you would like to see him do.Be specific in your requests and soon you will see howlaziness really hinders you in your prayers.WANDERING THOUGHTSPersonally, I find this a great hindrance in my prayerlife and others agree with me. We are a busypeople today. We have so many things to do that we carrydate books with us and then because we are so busy wesometimes forget to look at them. When we start to pray,and we mention someone or some thing, our minds startthinking about that person or that thing and the first thingwe know we are not praying for him. How do you or howwill you overcome this hindrance?What is it that some one has suggested? Nothingsee page 16JUNE 30, 1971 5