Last week I introduced Jerome Kropp’s “The Top Ten Excuses Not To Pray.” It could be found in the March 2015 issue of Liguorian Magazine. We began by looking at reasons 10 through 7. Today let’s look at the next three.

6 – God already knows what’s in my heart. He doesn’t need me to tell Him. Well, yeah God’s pretty smart and possesses all of that omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence (all knowing, all powerful and all present). But that’s not the point. Are you sure that you know what’s truly in your heart? How do you determine that? We live in a fallen world. We have been compromised, scarred, scared, injured. An honest look at our-self would determine that we are not always clear about our own intentions and motivations. Honestly looking into our own hidden agendas can be a difficult and painful process. That should drive us to prayer. This kind of prayer heals us of past injuries, purifies our intentions, points us in the direction of our purpose, mission and destiny and helps us to become that person that God intended us to be.

#5 – I’m rarely in the right mood or frame of mind to pray. While there might be a benefit to being in the “right frame of mind, if you always wait for that moment, you might never pray. If we reached out, took care of – and loved people only when “we felt like it,” our lives would be impoverished and we would become selfish and small people. If you are in a good frame of mind, halleluia! Thank the Lord for that. If not, pray anyway! The only clear mind is one that is conscieous that he/she needs God right now, regardless of the mood.

#4 – I don’t pray because I have way too many distractions that take me away from prayer. – A favorite, especially for busy parents with kids involved. Then again, do you know anyone who isn’t active and busy? A large part of prayer is not calendar but choice. Many things in life distract us: vanity, the esteem of others, money, power, pleasure. These are the things that might better be termed temptations rather than distractions. So let’s try that excuse again, “I don’t pray because I have way to many temptations that take me away from prayer.” Really? One of the best ways to fight temptations is prayer. Say to God, “Lord, help me overcome my distractions and my temptations.” This isn’t saying that the temptations and distractions are not present. They’ll be back. But you’ll be back fighting them again, with God – in prayer.

Next week we close with the TOP three reasons people mention why they don’t pray.