Matthew 26:36
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder."
It was right before Jesus was to be taken when He went to Gethsemane to pray. Jesus knew that He not only needed to spend some time in prayer, but that His disciples needed the strength from prayer. When Jesus arrived at the place where He would pray, He told His disciples to wait while He went further to pray alone. To Jesus' dismay, when He came back to see how the disciples were doing, He found them asleep. Though the disciples had a sincere desire to pray, they found some hindrances that kept them from praying.
Praying just may be one of the hardest areas for a Christian to be consistent in. I'm not just talking about wording a short prayer, but I'm talking about having a prayer life. There are so many hindrances that keep people from praying that we must work hard to remove them so we can get the strength from our prayer life that we need for each day. Let me show you some of the hindrances to your prayer life that we can learn from the Gethsemane experience.
First, sitting and tarrying are a hindrance to your prayer life. The Scriptures say that the disciples sat and tarried when they should have prayed. In other words, they had the desire to pray, but they did not turn their desire into action. I find that many Christians have a desire to pray, but they sit and tarry instead of using that time to pray. Praying will not demand your time. Yes, you need to pray, but you will have to purposely make yourself pray. A proper prayer life will take a complete surrender of the flesh. Until you crucify your flesh, you'll never turn your desire to pray into action.
Second, being sidetracked is a hindrance to prayer. Jesus told the disciples, "...watch with me." In other words, He warned them not to be sidetracked while they prayed. It is so easy to be sidetracked with different things while you are praying. Let me suggest that you remove anything that can sidetrack you when you pray. You may need to go find a place where you can be alone to keep yourself from being sidetracked.
Third, being sleepy is a hindrance to prayer. The disciples were found sleeping when they should have been found praying. You must be careful when you are tired that you don't fall asleep praying. Sleeping when you should be praying will not help your prayers to be answered. The best way to combat this hindrance is to walk while you pray. Most of my prayer time is done while I am walking. This keeps me from letting tired eyes hinder me from praying.
Fourth, a weak flesh will hinder your prayer life. Jesus said the disciples had a willing spirit, but they had a weak flesh. Friend, a sinful life will hinder your prayer life. You must not let the weakness of your flesh hinder you from praying. When you begin praying, the best thing you can do is confess your sin to God. This will help to crucify your weak flesh that will keep you from praying.
Fifth, no burden will hinder your prayer life. Jesus prayed because He had a burden for what He was about to endure. The disciples prayers were hindered because they didn't have a burden for what they were praying. A passionate prayer life will keep you praying. You must be consumed with what you are praying about if you want to keep a healthy prayer life. Don't make your prayers a repetition of words, rather let it be a pouring out of your heart to God.
Watch for these hindrances in your prayer life. Don't let them keep you from praying. A healthy prayer life will produce a healthy Christian. Remove the hindrances from your prayer life and you will find your spiritual health will be enhanced.