Overcoming Prayer Interruptions

Tips for Managing Interferences and Distractions in Prayer

Dealing With Prayer Interferences – Part 3

Obviously if there are interferences and interruptions to prayer, the logical question is how do I avoid, manage, and get beyond it? Keep in mind that there are times when you will be interrupted, but for the most part understanding what prayer is ensures you never want interruptions or interferences.

Our actions can impede our prayers.
David’s soldiers had been given orders to gather the bones of former King Saul and Saul’s son, Jonathan. After they had followed these instructions, “God was receptive to prayer for the land.” ^[1] Our actions are more important to reducing the interferences we face when we pray. Therefore if we are serious about our actions then God is serious about hearing our prayer. In other words, take prayer more seriously than you have been. This is next level prayer. Allow me to give you four next level ideas in which you can guard against the distractions that impede your prayer.

1. Stop thinking about traditional prayer.
   Stop thinking of prayer in traditional ways. Traditional prayer goes against how prayer is explained and demonstrated in the Bible. Prayer is exciting, enjoyable, reliable, and result producing. I was recently corrected in how I approached prayer. Listen to this. Prayer is an act of asking God to give you an unfair advantage. It’s asking for favor. Favor isn’t fair. What’s fair is you getting what you deserve. It’s you getting what you’ve earned. Prayer on the other hand is you asking for something that supersedes what you deserved or have earned. If this is what comes out of prayer, each time you pray, then the expectation is God’s favor. That alone should give you reason enough to get excited each and every time you pray.

    

2. Prioritize your meeting with God.
   Think of your time of prayer as a meeting you have with God. Use your imagination with me for a moment. What if God asked you, for a time tomorrow, that He would be available to meet with you face to face? How would you prepare for it? Would you just show up without anything to say? Would you not give Him a moment to address you? I suggest you prioritize this time. Real prayer is you meeting with God. It would be like meeting with your boss or the president. Take your scheduled appointment with God to the next level.

    

3. Plan for it.
   Be intentional. Planning for this time to pray will avoid disruptions and distractions. If you expect to be interrupted, then set a time where you won’t have interferences, distractions, or interruptions. If it’s important, and it should be, you won’t let anything get in the way. [To the left] There are some activities (wink) you have that you won’t let anyone interrupt. If you know what I mean. Let prayer be more important than even that. This is next level prayer. Plan for it.

    

4. Be prepared to get back at it.
   Even when it is interrupted, be prepared enough to get back to where you were. When I train pray-ers to pray for others, we go through exercises in an atmosphere where distractions occur. The point is to learn how to stay focused and stay with it. That person you’re praying for, their life might depend on it. More importantly, their eternal life might depend on it. Therefore, we must master getting beyond distractions and interruptions. This is next level prayer.

If you allow your prayer or conversation with God to be interrupted, what does that say about what you think of God? 

Let me put it another way. If you’re in a meeting with your boss or the owner of the company, will you allow a phone call to interrupt you? If you let your phone come between you and God, then you have more respect for your boss? Who’s your God? Prayer is too important not to take seriously. In fact, not taking it seriously produces the very things we are talking about, interference to the results you receive when you pray. You are an overcomer so overcome the hindrance ordinary people experience when they pray. We’re taking this to the next level.

Question: what can you begin doing today to reduce distractions and interferences to your prayer?

[1] ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25:20-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed January 6, 2023, https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.25.20-28.NKJV
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.