1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” While we cannot prayer 24 hours per day, the thought is that we should constantly remain in a state of prayer…ready to pray anytime as the need arises. We need to be in constant prayer concerning ourselves, praying for others, addressing the Lord in praise and worship. To maintain a close relationship with the Lord, we must be in constant communication. The Lord always desires to hear our voices as we direct our prayers to Him.

It seems that your relationship with the Lord is not in good shape. You have ‘backslidden’, or gotten away from Him and now your prayers are hindered. Let’s consider 1 Peter 3:7, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” This verse is speaking of the responsibility of the husband to treat his wife with the respect she deserves. To refuse to do that would be disobedience, and disobedience will hinder our prayers. When we neglect the Lord’s instruction and insist on doing things our way, this certainly will damage our relationship with the Lord and that will be manifested in our prayer life. Perhaps this ‘lack of words’ that you mention is an indication that the Holy Spirit is not leading you in your prayers. We read in Romans 8:26 that, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” To reach the Lord in our prayers, we MUST be led by the Spirit so that we can pray in accordance to the Lord’s will.

To restore your relationship with the Lord, you need to approach Him with a repentant heart and confess your sins to Him. Let’s look at King David’s prayer to the Lord as he finally confesses his sin with Bathsheba. Psalms 51:1-4, “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. HAVE MERCY UPON ME, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies BLOT OUR MY TRANSGRESSIONS. WASH ME throughly from mine iniquity, and CLEANSE ME from my sin. For I ACKNOWLEDGE MY TRANSGRESSIONS: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

What a pitiful cry to the Lord from a man who was brokenhearted for the sin he had committed. David asks for MERCY. He does not try to explain why he sinned. He does not try to justify his actions. As a man who stands guilty before the Lord, he simply asks for the Lord’s mercy. He realizes that he cannot take away this sin, so he asks the Lord to blot it out. He asks the Lord to wash and cleanse him. Let’s look at what we learn in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Not only will the Lord forgive us when we confess our sins to Him, He will cleanse us from the guilt, the stain, and the weight of the sin that weighs heavy on our consciences. David points out in his prayer that he cannot escape the horror of his sin. He says, “my sin is EVER before me.” He just can’t get away from the guilt and shame of his actions. He acknowledges, or confesses, his sin. He points out that He had sinned ‘only’ (or, especially) against the Lord.

I encourage you to read this entire psalm of confession. David’s confession can teach us how to confess ours sins to the Lord. We read in verses 12-13, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” David longs to have a relationship with the Lord again and promises to teach others of the Lord once he realizes his forgiveness. In his state, David realized the importance of a heart broken by the sins he had allowed in his life. He said in verses 16-17, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

I encourage you to search your own heart and confess ALL those things you have allowed in your life in opposition to God’s will. Be hard on yourself. Confess everything that you have done that is against God’s will. Confess everything you have not done that the Lord wanted you to do. If you do this earnestly, the Lord will forgive you instantly and you can begin to regain a close relationship with Him. The Lord longs to forgive you in a practical sense and have you close to Him once again. (285.8)