Weak or non-existent prayer lives

Isaiah 59:1-3

How many messages on prayer have you heard, and my answer is not near enough?  How many times have you heard prayer is the greatest power a follower of Christ has, and yet many of us seem to have weak or non-existent prayer lives?   What’s going on with us, why are we wasting this time on T.V. and sports, while we watch our world go deeper into darkness, while we watch our country, our state, our neighbors, our friends, our family chase after a culture of darkness and godlessness. 

I do not believe it’s lack of head knowledge, we believe God has the whole world in His hands, He is our Creator, and He alone can take an empty suit of a man, like I was, and bring life, hope, peace and understanding of the Lord being my shepherd and I shall not want, because He holds my hand and leads me to green pastures and still waters, and He has restored my soul.  He has lead me in the path of righteousness so that His name would be honored, and even though I walk through a shadow of death, there is no fear of evil, for God has watched over me.  As I recall God’s faithfulness to me my cup over- flows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

As you read this confession, I bet you also are in agreement with both King David and I, that God is bigger than my sins, His love is endless, so why are so few of us mighty in prayer?

As this writer has examined himself, and only himself, he has come to acknowledge the problem is the same as Isaiah is announcing to the chosen people of God in Isaiah 59:1-2.  “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

I have a problem, my iniquities, or sins have made a separation between God and I, and it’s not that God’s hand is short, or He cannot hear, but unconfessed sin will keep my prayers from being heard.  We find this elsewhere; "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." - I Pet. 3:12.  Now turn to Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."   Husband, the Scriptures are clear, God does not heard the prayers of a man who treats his wife in a harsh manner, "... that your prayers be not hindered." - I Pet. 3:7.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice