The Struggle to Pray

On this our nation's 59th annual observance of a Day of Prayer ... I ask myself, "Why is it that I struggle so much to pray?" (and if you are anything at all like me ... I am sure you struggle too). As I thought of that, the following answers came to mind.

1. The last thing (and I do mean the LAST thing) that the Enemy of our souls (a.k.a. "Satan") wants to see is God's people on their knees in prayer. As hymn writer William Cowper put it so well, "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees." Given this ... Satan will do all he can to keep us from praying. It is part of our spiritual battle.

2. All of us as humans have this very stubborn streak of self-reliance and independence that runs through the core of our fallen nature. We therefore do not realize often just how dependent we are upon God. We think we can do life on our own. So we go about our routines giving little thought to God and our need for His help. This keeps us from reaching up for His hand (which is always extended in our direction!).

3. Our fast-paced society in which we live does not lend itself well to prayer. All of us live under the constant demand of the "tyranny of the urgent." And so we give into the urgent demands of our life while we neglect the truly important (which would include prayer).

Which of the above do you seek keeping YOU from prayer? And just what are YOU going to do about it?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj