Roadblock Ahead:

Removing the Hindrances in Your Prayer Life

I confess there’s one hindrance in my prayer life that opposes me with a vengeance even before I start my day.

It’s my snooze alarm. Late nights beckon me. As a freelancer with a night-owl predisposition, I am often quite productive when most people are watching the news and wrapping things up for the day. As a result, many early mornings I keep hitting the snooze alarm just one more time. And each time I tap it represents a little less time available to spend with the Lord.

But this can actually be a symptom of a deeper underlying roadblock in my prayer life. It’s a roadblock that can rise up at any time. It’s the question that sometimes lingers in the back of my mind: Does all this prayer really make a difference?

The question popped up again this morning as I prayerwalked my community, asking for a Christ-awakening in every home. Will people really become followers of Jesus because I’m out here praying? Does this really make a difference, Lord?

Of course I know the truth—it does. The Lord wouldn’t call us to pray if it didn’t matter. But sometimes, I wonder. And just that little bit of questioning can slip in as a hindrance to praying with faith.

I’m thankful the Lord graciously reminds me in various ways that, yes, our prayers do matter. Recently, while reading through Exodus, I came across a note in the margin next to Exodus 31:2-6 (NLT): “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel . . . I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. . . . He is a master at every craft!”

I had written that I prayed this passage for my friend Evan in September of 2009. I have no idea why. So after rereading the passage, I mentioned it to Evan. “That’s just crazy,” he said. Apparently, at that exact time, Evan was in Bolivia helping record a Christian album. The process was not what he expected, and he ended up having to play many of the instruments and percussion himself—something he was not skilled to do. “I had no idea how I was going to pull if off,” he said. But God suddenly made him a “master at every craft.”

It was, once again, the reminder I needed that God invites us to pray because He has every intention of answering! We just need persistence in overcoming the barriers.

Unending Struggles

Obviously my snooze alarm and my questioning thoughts are only a couple examples of the many hindrances and roadblocks that can affect the prayer lives of many well-meaning believers. We know we should pray. We are always glad when we do pray. Yet the struggles seem unending.

In this issue, Bill Elliff tackles various reasons God might not be responding to our prayers. Scripture is clear that sin, pride, unforgiveness, and broken relationships can affect the way God listens. Rebecca Shirey sheds light on everyday roadblocks we may experience (time, distractions, delays, interruptions) and offers practical suggestions for overcoming them. And Kerry Shuey delves into one of the strongest roadblocks: unforgiveness.

But when we faithfully pursue Christ, pray even when it’s difficult or uncertainty arises, and when we seek to push through the roadblocks, God blesses us with the joy of being in relationship with Him through this gift of prayer.

And sometimes the answers are “just crazy.”

–CAROL MADISON is editor of Prayer Connect.