Why We Don't Pray

We meet to pray every Wednesday night at GFC and usually take 10 minutes before prayer to reorient our minds toward God. To do this last night I asked our adults two questions. I found folks’ answers very encouraging! Admittedly, I did not get every response jotted down, but here is a sampling of what we came up with:

1. What lies do we believe that keep us from praying?

• God will not listen to me
• God is not able to help
• I need to work things out myself; I am more trustworthy than God
• God is not going to do good
• I am not good enough for God to listen to me
• My matters are unimportant
• I have already prayed about this a hundred times
• I will not pray the right thing
• Prayer will not change anything since God is sovereign

Then we sought to answer these lies with the Truth of the Word.

2. What things are true about God that should deeply encourage us to pray to Him?

• He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything
• He forgives our iniquities
• He takes pleasure in His people
• His mercies are new every morning
• He hears those who ask of Him
• He listens to the humble who pray
• He does more than we can ask
• If He gave us Christ how will He not give us all things?
• His kingdom is not of this world
• He sympathizes with our weakness
• He maintains the cause of the afflicted
• He draws close the brokenhearted
• Christ intercedes for us, sitting, resurrected at the Fathers right hand
• He is our pleasure, stronghold, joy and path of life
• His Spirit intercedes for us in prayer
• He hears us

If we fail to pray it is because we have thought much too little of Christ and much too much of ourselves. God rescue us from proud independence!