Prayer is a good thing, right?  Well, it can be.  It should be.  However, prayer is sometimes sabotaged by hidden prayer sins that keep us from the full its benefits.

Hidden Prayer Sins

Below you will find a few hidden sins that lurk in our prayer times.  The list is certainly not exhaustive and you can probably add more.

1.  Gossip. 

“Let me ‘share’ a prayer request with you.  Bob and Sally are having marriage trouble.  We need to pray for them.”

The problem is that neither Bob nor Sally asked that you share that request.  They may have come to you confidentially seeking your prayer support, but never gave you the right to share the request with others. In fact, maybe neither Bob nor Sally came to you with the request at all.  Maybe you found out about it from someone else, or worse, assumed it based on your observations.

I once heard a lady in a church I where I was pastor say, “Prayer meeting is my favorite service.  Without prayer meeting, I would never know what was going on.”  Sadly, much of what we do in prayer meeting resembles gossip more than intercession.

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2.  Lying.

“I’ll be praying for you.”

Sounds nice, doesn’t it?  But do you actually keep the promise?  Do you ever lift the need to the Lord in prayer.  Maybe once or twice, you say, but your promise was to “be praying.”  That suggests ongoing action.

We want people to think we care, so we make a promise we know we will not keep.  Too often, Christians practice “drive by” praying.  We need more persistent pray-ers.

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3.  Selfishness.

If I am not careful, I spend more time praying for my needs than praying for the needs of others.  Can you relate?  God loves hearing what’s on my heart, but if most of what’s on my heart is ME, then I’m selfish. 

How Can We Avoid Hidden Prayer Sins

1.  Purpose not to share a need unless you have permission to share it.  We care about others, and we see the value in group prayer.  However, we must remember that a person’s need is THEIR need.  They have the right to share it when, where, and with whom they please.  We can still pray for others, but we should “pray solo” until we have permission to include others.

2.  Keep a prayer list.  You may keep a hand-written list in a journal or digitally on a computer or prayer app (suggestions below).  Keeping a list gives us the opportunity to revisit needs others have shared with us.  I have a pretty good memory, but I find my memory improves exponentially when I refer often to a list.

3.  Divide your prayer list into segments.  Certainly include a segment for your personal needs and requests.  But also include segments for praise, thanksgiving, confession, and intercession for others. Praying in segments helps us maintain balance in our praying.

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Some resources for organizing your prayer life:

The best Prayer Journal I have ever used:  The 2959 Prayer Plan Online or
                                                                           The 2959 Prayer Journal Hard Copy

The best book I’ve ever read on organizing prayer time: The Hour that Changes the Word, by Dick Eastman

The best smartphone prayer journal I have found: PrayerMate

Feel free to comment about other hidden prayer traps you have experienced and any other ideas you have found helpful for organizing and focusing your prayer time.