No 12

(Hindrances to Prayer)

There are many hindrances to prayer; sin is the most obvious and the Word of God states in the Old and New Testaments how sin can disrupt the prayer life in a believer. In Psalm 66:18, we read “ If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” I mean how can it be plainer than that? Yet, we see church members holding grudges against others, having an unforgiving spirit or we hear of infidelity in a couple who attends church. Note that I didn’t say that these people were true Christians because I honestly believe that if someone is a true Christian, he or she will not be able to hold a grudge very long and will forgive that person who may have offended him or her or will repent of his or her infidelity as soon as possible. The Lord wants us to be holy and sanctified – that’s why He gave us the Bible.

In the New Testament, there is also a verse that speaks of hindrance to prayer. But before I quote it, I would like to tell you a true story about a man who, after hearing this verse, completely changed his outlook on life. The story goes as follows – there was once a man, a true born-again Christian, who decided to do something for the Lord. He was a relatively new Christian and his intentions were noble – he wanted to open a Christian bookstore. So he began by sending away for samples from the many Christian publishing companies such as Baker, Zondervan, etc, etc. Almost everyday he would get catalogues in the mail and was thrilled that the Lord was blessing his endeavours. In the mean time, he visited several locations and found an empty store that fit the requirement. He made inquiries with the owner of the store which was located in a small shopping mall; the rent seemed reasonable, so he signed a lease in the presence of the landlord’s lawyer. Disaster ! ! All this time, he had not told his wife about the project!! Oh, he had mentioned to her that he would like to open a store but had not said anything definitive; especially signing a 5-year lease at $600.00 per month. When he realised his blunder, he told his wife and they both went to see a wise pastor who began by quoting the verse in question.

The verse is in Peter’s first epistle, chapter 3 verse 7 and it says “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” The man was stunned and repented of his lack of respect to his wife. Of course that did not settle the lease he had signed – it cost $5000.00 to get out of it. Needless to say he had learned his lesson and never did anything of the sort ever again. He was attempting a project that he thought was worthwhile but had left out his wife out of it completely. That man’s prayers were not heard and were hindered by his lack of honour for his wife.

Oh, by the way, that man was me.