Every Christian knows that Satan does not like us to pray. A reasonable question would be, “How much does Satan hate the child of God to engage in prayer?” It should be obvious that Satan uses many devices and schemes to distract us from prayer, and especially to keep us out of the proverbial prayer closet. If you want to know how important something is to someone, simply take note in the amount of attention and labor the person put towards it. Or, how much someone works against it.
This applies to Satan. He works feverishly to keep the believer from going to the Throne of Grace and offering prayers unto the Most High God. To Satan, it must be highly … HIGHLY important to keep you out of the exercise of prayer with the Father God.
Thomas Brooks gives us five conclusions drawn from Satan’s great war against the exercise of serious prayer.
First, if it were not an excellent thing for a man to be in secret with God, Satan would never make such head against it.
Secondly, the more necessary any duty is to the internal and eternal welfare of a Christian, the more Satan will bestir himself to blunt a Christian’s spirit in that duty.
Thirdly, where we are like to gain most, there Satan loves to oppose most.
Fourthly, if there were not a kind of omnipotency in it, if it were not able to do wonders in heaven, and wonders on earth, and wonders in the hearts and lives and ways of men, Satan would never have such an aching tooth against it as he hath.
Fifthly, that God is highly honoured by this duty, or else Satan would never be so greatly enraged against it. This is certain. The more glory God hath from any service we do, the more Satan will strive by all his wiles and sleights to take us, either off from that service, or so to interrupt us in that service, that God may have no honour, nor we no good, nor himself no hurt, by our private retirements
Beware that the excuses that arrive to distract you or deter you from spending quality time in communion with your Heavenly Father are not from the Spirit of God. If you are tempted to pass on prayer time, realize where the temptation is coming from, and let that realization be fuel on your fire to get alone in prayer all the more. We have much to pray about, many persecuted brethren we need to lift up, and a world of souls who are spiritually blinded by our enemy. Let’s pray! It is a scourge to Satan and all his schemes and works.
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Brooks, T. (1866). The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks. (A. B. Grosart, Ed.) (Vol. 2, p. 197). Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert.
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