Understanding the Purpose and Power of PrayerSýnishorn

Hindrances to Answered Prayer

In addition to the hurdles to prayer described in the previous devotional, there are spiritual and emotional hindrances that we need to address if we are to have true fellowship with God and receive answers to our prayers. We have discussed some of these hindrances already, such as a lack of forgiveness, doubt, and other sins. Today, we will look at other hindrances so we can recognize them in our lives and deal with them more effectively.

Fear

Fear is a significant hindrance for us to overcome because it often keeps us from believing we can approach God in prayer. It prevents us from having freedom and confidence when we pray. We’re afraid to ask God for anything because we believe He has something against us. This kind of fear will block your faith, and thus your prayers will be ineffective.

When you go before God, it doesn’t matter what your past was like, what you did yesterday, or even what you did this morning that was unpleasing to Him. If you confess your sin before God, appropriating the cleansing blood of Jesus to purify you from all unrighteousness (see 1 John 1:9), then He will forgive you, and you can approach Him as if you had never sinned. No fear needs to be involved in your prayers.

Be encouraged! God wants you to live with the assurance of forgiveness and move forward in His purposes with confidence.

Guilt

Guilt is related to the fear of not being forgiven. Some people live with a constant sense of being condemned by God; therefore, they always feel guilty. However, Romans 8:1–2 tells us, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and [its consequence] death.”

“There is now no condemnation” (Romans 8:1). This truth is crucial for us to understand if we are to approach God in prayer. God has forgiven and forgotten your sin if you have confessed it, repented of it, and believed that it is covered by the blood of Jesus. If you have sin in your life right now, put it under the blood of Jesus. Seek reconciliation in your broken relationships and restitution for wrongs you have committed, as God leads. If you sin in the future, ask God to forgive you and to continue the process of sanctification in your life. Accept His forgiveness and draw near to Him again in confident faith.

Feelings of Inferiority

Some people are hindered in prayer because they don’t believe they are worthy enough to receive an answer. When you have a low opinion of yourself, it is because you do not know God’s true opinion of you, which He reveals in His Word. You are very valuable to God! Therefore, live and pray accordingly.

In love [God] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves... In him we were also chosen. (Ephesians 1:4–6, 11)

We were chosen in Christ long before the earth was made. God loves you so much that He has lavished His love on you. A low opinion of yourself or self-hatred is not from God but from the enemy. He doesn’t want you to realize that if God loved you so much that He gave you the best He had, then your value to Him must be incalculable. In light of our value to God, we can treat ourselves with respect and approach Him as a chosen child who has been given “the riches of God’s grace” (verse 7).

Wrong Motives

The Bible says that if your motives are wrong, your prayers will be hindered (see James 4:3). What are your motives for praying? Are you asking God for something just so you can promote your own ego or for other selfish purposes? Or are you asking God to fulfill His Word so that His kingdom can come on the earth?

God knows we have needs, and it’s not wrong to request that He fulfill them based on His Word. Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). Yet our main focus should be honoring God and promoting His purposes. When we have our priorities right, we can trust Him to meet our daily needs (see verses 31–33).

Broken Family Relationships

Broken relationships in the home, between a husband and wife, for example, will also hinder your prayers, as we read in 1 Peter 3:7. Peter was saying, in effect, “Husbands, dwell with your wives with understanding, and don’t let there be any animosity between you, lest your prayers be hindered.” Although Peter was speaking specifically to husbands, the same principle may be applied to relationships between any family members, since the law of unforgiveness relates to everyone.

As believers, the Spirit of God dwells within us. Therefore, we are to demonstrate the nature of God to one another (see, for example, Psalm 103:8–10). If we do not demonstrate the love, compassion, forgiveness, and grace of God to others, we are misrepresenting Him. How can we ask Him to fulfill His purposes by answering our prayers when we are violating those very purposes by the way we treat others?

Idols

“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?” (Ezekiel 14:3). In this sobering verse, God is saying, “I will not answer your prayers if you are seeking idols.” He is not speaking of statues. He is referring to idols of the heart. We must be careful not to set up idols in our lives, however subtle they may be. Entertainment can be an idol. A car can be an idol. Clothes can be idols. A boyfriend or girlfriend can be an idol. Your reputation can be an idol. An idol is anything we give higher priority than God. 

We need to examine our lives to see what is most important to us, what our priorities are, and how we are spending our time. God deserves our primary love, respect, and devotion. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Stinginess

Finally, an ungenerous heart can hinder your prayers. Proverbs 21:13 says, “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.” God is telling us that if we are stingy, it can prevent our prayers from being heard. How can we ask Him to provide for our needs when we’re not concerned about the needs of those who are less fortunate than we are? However, if we are compassionate and generous, if we are givers, we can be assured that our prayers will be answered. “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25). 

In addition, when we are generous toward God, He promises to provide for us abundantly:

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:10)

Throw Off Your Hindrances

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us throw off [“lay aside” NKJV] everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Let us determine, through God’s grace, to remove these hindrances from our lives so we can live in harmony with God and others, and have confidence and effectiveness in prayer.