What is the biggest obstacle to your prayer life?
If I had to guess, you might say something like… I’m always busy.
Or, there are so many distractions.
After all, we’re all living in a world where… from the moment we wake up until we fall asleep at night there are literally a million things vying for our attention. There are so many demands on our time. So many things we have to do.
And even when we do have a moment of free time, we’ve got messages and notifications to check. Our phones and watches and other devices are always buzzing and ringing and dinging.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7mBMsrBEaQ[/embedyt]Martin Luther on Prayer
In the early 1500’s there was a German priest by the name of Martin Luther.
He once said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” He may or may not have said those exact words, but he was known by those who knew him best for spending several hours in prayer each day.
You might think that was much easier in the 1500’s. After all, he didn’t have an iPhone or social media to keep up with. No one was waiting on him to reply to an email.
He didn’t have to deal with traffic or try and figure out how to get all the kids to all the places they have to be after school. He couldn’t have been as busy as we are. And he surely didn’t have to deal with all the distractions we face.
In a letter he wrote to a friend who asked him to teach him how to pray, Martin Luther said this…
Guard yourself carefully against those false, deluding ideas which tell you, “Wait a little while. I will pray in an hour; first I must attend to this or that.” Such thoughts get you away from prayer into other affairs which so hold your attention and involve you that nothing comes of prayer for that day. . . .
– Martin Luther
We must be careful not to break the habit of true prayer and imagine other works to be necessary which, after all, are nothing of the kind.
Our Biggest Obstacle to Prayer is…
It’s tempting to think that our biggest obstacle to our prayer life is our schedule, our smartphones, the business of our lives. It’s easy to think… I’ve got so many things I have to get done before I can spend time in prayer.
But the truth is, the biggest obstacle to prayer for us is us.
It’s our heart. It’s where we’ve placed our hope, our dependance, and our faith. Where we spend your time reveals where we’ve put your trust. And more often than not, we’ve turned away from depending on God to relying on ourselves.
So what if you began each day with prayer? Take away the excuses. Turn your heart to God. Put your hope, your faith, your trust in Him. “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4.6
What would happen if you decided that prayer, above everything else, was the most important part of your day?
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