                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                           Why Is It So Hard for
                            Christians to Pray?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright +
                               Cover Letter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
May 11, 1998
__________

          Ive been perplexed for some time about a problem that
          has persisted in the church for years  and it concerns
          me deeply. The problem is, why is it so hard for
          Christians to pray?

          Scripture makes it clear that the answer to everything
          in our lives is prayer mixed with faith. The apostle
          Paul writes, Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in
          every thing by prayer and supplication with
          thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God
          (Philippians 4:6). Paul is telling us, Seek the Lord
          about every area of your life. And thank him ahead of
          time for hearing you!

          Pauls emphasis is clear: Always pray first! We arent
          to pray as a last resort  going to our friends first,
          then to a pastor or counselor, and finally ending up on
          our knees. No  Jesus tells us, Seek ye first the
          kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
          things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). Were
          to go to the Lord first  before anyone!

          Its heartrending to read the letters sent to our
          ministry from multitudes of broken Christians. Families
          are breaking up, spouses are divorcing, people who
          walked faithfully with Christ for years are living in
          fear and defeat. Each of these people has been overcome
          by something  sin, depression, worldliness,
          covetousness. And year after year, their problems only
          seem to get worse.

          Yet, what shocks me most about their letters is that
          very few of these Christians ever mentions prayer. They
          turn to tapes, books, counselors, call- in shows,
          therapies of all kinds  but rarely ever to prayer.
          They go through each day worrying, fretting, living
          with a cloud hanging over their heads, because they
          dont have an answer to their problems.

          Why is it so hard for Christians, in times of crisis,
          to seek God for their desperate needs? After all, the
          Bible stands as one long testimony that God hears the
          cries of his children and answers them with tender
          love:

             * The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and
               his ears are open unto their cry (Psalm 34:15).

             * The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and
               delivereth them out of all their troubles (verse
               17).

             * This is the confidence that we have in him, that,
               if we ask any thing according to his will, he
               heareth us: and if we know that he hear us,
               whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
               petitions that we desired of him (1 John
               5:14-15).

             * ...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
               man availeth much (James 5:16).

             * All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
               believing, ye shall receive (Matthew 21:22).

             * ...the prayer of the upright is his delight
               (Proverbs 15:8).

             * The Lord...heareth the prayer of the righteous
               (verse 29).

             * He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and
               not despise their prayer (Psalm 102:17).

          Listen to Davids great boast: In the day when I cried
          thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength
          in my soul (138:3). David said, Ive proven you, God!
          In all my trials, I turned to no one else. I sought
          only you  and you heard me, answered me, and gave me
          strength for the battle I was facing! Thou calledst
          in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee...
          (81:7).

          These promises and testimonies are overwhelming
          evidence of Gods care. And theyre so varied, profound
          and numerous, I dont understand how any Christian
          could miss them!

          Yet when it comes to prayer, the Bible gives us more
          than promises. It also gives us warnings about the
          danger of neglecting prayer: How shall we escape, if
          we neglect so great salvation... (Hebrews 2:3). The
          Greek word for neglect here means of little concern;
          to take lightly.

          The context of this verse is a discussion of things
          related to our salvation  and prayer is obviously one
          of these. God is asking, How do you expect to escape
          ruin and devastation in the dark times coming, if you
          havent learned to commune with me in prayer? How will
          you know and recognize my voice in that day, if you
          havent learned to hear it in your secret closet?

          I believe God is deeply wounded by the neglect of
          prayer among his people today. Jeremiah writes: Can a
          maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet
          my people have forgotten me days without number
          (Jeremiah 2:32).

          Here is my big question  the one thing I simply cannot
          understand: How can Gods own people  who are under
          constant attack from hell, facing trouble and
          temptations on all sides  go week after week without
          ever seeking him? And how can they claim to love him
          and believe in his promises, yet never draw near to his
          heart?

                      -------------------------------

                        The Writer of Hebrews Calls
                         Us to Draw Near to God!

                      -------------------------------

          Hebrews 10 contains an incredible promise. It says
          Gods door is always open to us, giving us total access
          to the father:

          Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
          holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way,
          which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil,
          that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest
          over the house of God; let us draw near with a true
          heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
          sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
          washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-22).

          A few verses later, were warned the day of the Lord is
          fast approaching: Not forsaking the assembling of
          ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
          exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see
          the day approaching (verse 25). God is saying, Even
          now, as the time of Christs return draws closer, you
          must seek my face. Its time to go into your secret
          closet and get to know me!

          I believe were already seeing the signs that prove
          were close to a meltdown of our financial system:
          Violence and immorality are on the rise. Our society is
          pleasure mad. False prophets  angels of light  have
          already deceived many with their doctrines of demons.
          And, at any time, we can expect to see the hour of
          tribulation, which will cause mens hearts to fail with
          fear. Yet, before all this happens, the writer of
          Hebrews says:

          Dont let the truth slip away from you! Stay awake and
          alert. You have an open door into Gods holy presence 
          so, go into him with full assurance of faith, making
          your petitions known. Christs blood has already made
          the way for you  and nothing stands between you and
          the father. You have every right to enter into the holy
          of holies, to receive all the help you need!

          When we take lightly Jesus sacrifice  which he gave
          so we could have access to the father for all our needs
           we do despite to the grace of God, provoking his
          anger!

          Yet, even with all these powerful warnings about the
          dangers of neglecting prayer, Christians still find it
          hard to pray. Why? I believe there are four reasons for
          this:

                      -------------------------------

                       1. Some Christians Dont Pray
                        Because They Have a Lukewarm
                            Love for the Lord!

                      -------------------------------

          When I use the word lukewarm to describe a persons
          love for Jesus, I dont mean hes cold toward the Lord.
          Rather, I mean his love is inexpensive  not costly.
          Let me give you an example:

          When Jesus addresses the church at Ephesus in
          Revelation 2, he first commends them for all theyve
          done. He acknowledges theyve labored hard in the faith
           hating sin and compromise, refusing to accept false
          doctrines, never fainting or giving up when persecuted,
          always taking a stand for the gospel.

          But, Christ says, he holds one thing against them:
          Theyve forsaken their fervent, expensive love for him!
          Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because
          thou hast left thy first love (Revelation 2:4).

          Somehow amid all their good works, they left behind
          their loving, disciplined walk with Jesus. And now he
          tells them, Youve left your first love. Youve
          forsaken the costly discipline of coming into my
          presence, to commune with me!

          Please note: Jesus is speaking here of believers who
          started out with a burning love for him. He isnt
          addressing dead, cold, nominal Christians, who never
          loved him in the first place. Rather, hes saying,
          Its possible for someone who once had a heart of love
          for me to let his zeal become lukewarm. The devoted
          servant who once ran daily to seek me in his secret
          closet now seldom prays at all!

          Think about how insulting this must be to Christ, who
          is our bridegroom. What kind of marriage can there be
          when a husband and wife have no private times of
          intimacy? And thats just what Jesus is talking about
          here. He wants moments with you all to himself, to
          enjoy intimacy!

          You may say you love him  but if you never show up to
          be with him, you prove you dont love him at all. That
          kind of behavior would never cut it with another lover.
          If you told your girlfriend you loved her, but you only
          saw her once a week  just long enough to say, Hi,
          honey, I love you, now goodbye!  she wouldnt put up
          with it. Why should Jesus, who gave his all  his very
          life  for you?

          It doesnt matter how loudly you praise the Lord in
          church, how much you say you love him, how many tears
          you shed. You can give generously, love others, hate
          sin, rebuke wrongdoers  but if your heart isnt being
          continually drawn to Christs presence, you simply
          dont love him. Youre taking prayer lightly,
          neglecting it  and, according to Jesus own words,
          thats proof youve lost your love for him.

          All our works are in vain, unless we return to our
          bright-burning love for Jesus. We have to realize,
          Loving Jesus isnt just about doing things. It
          involves the daily discipline of maintaining a
          relationship. And that will cost me something!

                      -------------------------------

                       2. Some Christians Dont Pray
                         Because Theyve Perverted
                             Their Priorities!

                      -------------------------------

          A priority is the importance you place on something.
          And Christians who neglect prayer have perverted their
          priorities!

          Many believers pledge theyll pray if and when they can
          find the time. Yet each week, seeking Christ becomes
          less important to them than washing the car, cleaning
          the house, visiting friends, eating out, going
          shopping, watching sports. They simply dont make time
          to pray.

          Yet people were no different in the days of Noah and
          Lot. Their top priorities were eating and drinking,
          buying and selling, marrying and caring for their
          families. They had no time to listen to messages of
          Gods coming judgment. And so no one was prepared when
          judgment fell!

          Evidently, nothing has changed over the centuries. For
          most Americans, God remains at the bottom of the
          priority list. And at the top are income, security,
          pleasure, family. Of course, for many Americans God
          doesnt even make the list. But that doesnt grieve the
          Lord nearly as much as how little hes valued by his
          own children!

          Today, thousands of Christians are traveling across the
          country just to be prayed over by some minister,
          prophet or evangelist. These believers want to feel
          Gods touch and have some ecstatic experience of his
          presence. But even if they get what theyre looking
          for, the experience only lasts a short time. And,
          ironically, the whole time theyre traveling and
          seeking Gods touch, they dont spend five minutes in
          prayer!

          Beloved, the Lord doesnt want your leftovers  those
          little bits and pieces of time when you have only a
          moment to toss up a quick prayer request. That isnt a
          sacrifice of prayer. Its a lame offering  and it
          pollutes his altar!

          The prophet Malachi writes: If ye offer the blind for
          sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and
          sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor;
          will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person?
          saith the Lord of hosts (Malachi 1:8).

          Malachi is saying, Youre bringing just any old farm
          animals to sacrifice in Gods presence. But these are
          careless, thoughtless, secondhand gifts. Try giving
          those kinds of offerings to your governor. Hed have
          you thrown out of his presence!

          God expected his people to go through their flocks
          carefully, examining every animal, to choose the most
          perfect specimen among them for sacrifice to him. And
          likewise today, God expects the same from us. He wants
          our quality time  time that wont be rushed or
          hurried. And were to make that time a priority!

          I once met with the pastor of one of Americas largest
          churches. This man was one of the busiest ministers Id
          ever seen. He told me without apology, I have no time
          to pray. Yet, what he really meant was, I dont give
          any priority to prayer.

          When I visited his church, I sensed no moving of Gods
          Spirit in the congregation. In fact, it was one of the
          deadest churches Id ever preached in. Yet, how could
          there be any life, if the pastors didnt pray?

          The fact is, no Christian will set aside time to pray
          unless it becomes his first priority in life, above
          everything else  above family, career, leisure time,
          everything. Otherwise, his sacrifice is perverted!

                      -------------------------------

                       3. Some Christians Dont Pray
                          Because Theyve Learned
                          to Live Without Prayer!

                      -------------------------------

          Many Christians think all thats required of them is to
          go to church, worship, listen to the preaching, resist
          sin, do their very best, and all will be well for them.
          This is the sacrifice they bring to God  and they
          think hes pleased with it!

          Ive spent time at the bedsides of dying Christians who
          were faithful churchgoers for over fifty years. These
          people never missed a meeting. They were good, family
          people, and they could talk about every spiritual
          subject. But they had no prayer life whatsoever. They
          spent hours with their family, or sitting in front of a
          TV, or working on their hobbies  but they had no time
          to be alone with Christ.

          This may sound harsh to you, but I believe those people
          went into eternity not knowing their Lord. God never
          drew near to them  because they never drew near to
          him!

          I fear for every Christian whos learned to live
          comfortably with no daily prayer life  whos never had
          a growing communion with the Lord. Such people end up
          strangers to him. And theyll be among those whom
          Christ rebukes on judgment day: Yes, you did many
          great works  you healed people, you performed
          miracles, you brought many into my kingdom. But I never
          knew you. Depart from me, stranger!

          How can we escape Gods anger and displeasure, if we
          neglect his great gift of salvation? How can we face
          him on judgment day, when the books are opened to
          reveal we havent spent any time with him? We may
          answer, Lord, I realize I made very little time for
          you. I spent it all on myself, my family, my career.
          But now Im ready to spend eternity getting to know
          you. Do you think hell stand for that? No  never!

          The fact is, you can easily spend a whole lifetime
          without prayer. In fact, I know of some very
          successful pastors and evangelists whove to learned
          to minister completely without prayer. They can
          entertain you, tell you great stories and make you
          laugh. But they cant convict you, change you, or move
          you to seek Gods face!

          After a while, these men fall into deep despair. Why?
          They become more and more dependent on the arm of the
          flesh, rather than on the Lord. And their lives become
          full of confusion on every side. Prayerless preachers
          are powerless preachers!

          Likewise, prayerless Christians are shallow in their
          faith, easy targets for false teachers, quickly led
          astray from the true gospel. Such Christians are always
          learning  but never maturing!

                      -------------------------------

                       4. Some Christians Dont Pray
                         Because They Dont Believe
                         God Hears Their Prayers!

                      -------------------------------

          Over time, many believers get discouraged over
          unanswered prayers  and, finally, they simply give up.
          They think, Maybe I just lack faith. All I know is,
          prayer doesnt work for me. And why should I pray if it
          doesnt work?

          The Israelites in Isaiahs time had the same attitude.
          Isaiah wrote: They seek me daily, and delight to know
          my ways, as a nation that did righteousness...they ask
          of me...they take delight in approaching to God.
          Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?
          Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest
          no knowledge [notice]?... (Isaiah 58:2-3).

          These people were accusing God of child neglect! They
          were saying, I love God  I do right and avoid sin.
          And, until recently, Ive been faithful to seek him in
          prayer. But, you know what? Hes never answered me! So,
          why should I continue afflicting my soul before him?
          Hes never taken notice of my pleadings!

          Many unmarried Christian women tend to think this way.
          They say, For years Ive sought the Lord sincerely,
          asking him to bring a godly man into my life. Ive
          prayed for over a decade now. But nothing has
          happened! So they try to make a marriage happen on
          their own  and disaster follows.

          Recently, a pastor wrote an alarming letter to me. He
          said: Brother Wilkerson, this past week I shut down
          the church Ive pastored for several years. I simply
          disbanded the congregation and left the pulpit. For
          years we prayed for revival  but it never happened. We
          prayed for a building  but it never came through. Over
          the years, we dwindled to thirty people. It just wasnt
          working. And now Im leaving to find another job.

          I pity this dejected man. Yet, I agree  he needs
          another job, because he probably wasnt called to
          ministry in the first place. You see, our calling isnt
          to see revival happen, to have a church building, or to
          have respectable numbers in the congregation. No  its
          to minister to the Lord faithfully  and that includes
          our prayer life!

          James writes that God doesnt answer the prayers of
          those who ask for things simply to satisfy themselves:
          Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
          may consume it upon your lusts (James 4:3). In other
          words: Youre not asking for Gods will. Youre not
          ready to submit to whatever he wants. Rather, youre
          trying to dictate to him those things that will satisfy
          your own heart!

          Make no mistake  our God is utterly faithful. Paul
          writes, ...let God be true, but every man a liar...
          (Romans 3:4). Hes saying, in essence, It doesnt
          matter if you hear a million voices crying, Prayer
          doesnt work. God doesnt hear me! Let every man be
          called a liar. Gods word stands  and he is faithful
          to hear us!

          Jesus said, ...whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
          believing, ye shall receive (Matthew 21:22). Simply
          put, Christ is saying, If you truly believe, youll be
          willing to wait and expect an answer from your heavenly
          father. And it wont matter to you how long it takes.
          Youll hold on in faith, believing hell answer!

          If God has delayed answering a particular prayer of
          yours, you can be sure hes testing your faith. He
          wants you to trust him when he appears to be silent.
          And he tests you, to see if youll say, I give up. He
          doesnt answer! Ultimately, he wants your faith to
          come forth as pure as gold  so youll be equipped to
          receive many answers, both for you and for others! I
          once read the story of a godly saint  a dear, older
          sister whod walked closely with Jesus for many years.
          Her prayer life was so strong, people everywhere asked
          her to pray for them. One day a friend wrote to her
          asking for prayer, and the woman agreed.

          A few weeks later, this godly woman received another
          letter from that same friend, saying, Thank you for
          praying  Ive been healed! But the godly woman
          realized shed forgotten to pray! She rejoiced that her
          friend had been healed  yet she wondered, Lord, she
          said her faith was weak. Why did you heal her, if I
          forgot to pray?

          God answered her: I healed her because youve gotten
          to know me! Youve grown so close to me, I fulfilled
          the very desire you had for your friend  even without
          your prayer.

          Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up
          for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for
          them that trust in thee before the sons of men! (Psalm
          31:19). ...they that seek the Lord shall not want any
          good thing (34:10).

          Go to your secret closet regularly, and seek him with
          all your heart. Thats your answer to a healed
          marriage, to unsaved family members, to every need in
          your life. Your answers may not come overnight. Yet,
          God will do his work in his time and his way. Your part
          is to believe he is faithful to answer  because youre
          his beloved child!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

                 ------------------------------------------
Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright +
                               Cover Letter
                 ------------------------------------------

         Times Square Church Information | New Reader Information

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:

This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be
altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for
circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data
file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge"]. This data file may not be used without the permission World
Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This
includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations.
Please give the following source credit: Copyright  1998 by World
Challenge, Lindale, Texas, USA.

This material is solely for personal use and is not to be posted publicly
on other web pages. The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive
rights from World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messsages on its
web page. You are free to download, copy, print and distribute this
material, so long as you do not post it on a different Internet site. You
may, however, link this site to reference these messages.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       This web site is a service of
                          The Missing Link, Inc.
       Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
                      Web site - http://misslink.org
               Chapel Site - http://misslink.org/chapel2.html
  Home of David Wilkerson's Times Square Church Pulpit Series Multilingual
                                  Web Site
             http://misslink.org/chapel/teacher/multilan.html

            Copyright  1998 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                        North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.
                This page was Last updated August 24, 1998.

  Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Sponsor/ Statement of Faith/
   Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Pulpit Series
