Prayer must surmount obstacles. Prayer is not easy. As I go to seriously pray before the Lord, I face all kinds of distraction to dissuade me from prayer. Other obstacles are forgetfulness, tiredness, and sometimes anxiety. Fix a time if you possibly can and keep to it. If it is a problem of concentration, break up the prayers by reading a verse of Scripture in between. Prayer must have faith; that is a condition for prayer. It means that you believe in God’s power to do it. If he chooses, if it is his will, then he can do it so easily. Do not ask hopelessly. Try recalling your history of prayer and how the Lord wonderfully helped me. Tell him you trust him. That often helps you to consciously trust him. Pray repeatedly to show that you trust him. That is one of the reasons for repeated prayer. It consolidates our trust. And prayer must have patience, In one situation God may hear your prayer soon, and yet in another situation you may have to pray over for a long period. Prayer has submission too; we wait for him. Prayer must have holiness. David says, ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.’ Prayer must be sincere. There must be no pretence in prayers, no mechanical praying, the same prayer every day, so that you wind the handle and out it comes before the Lord. It is vain repetition. Pre-think the prayer. I am going to prayer about such-and-such a thing, then I will think about it for a few moments. Prayer must be watchful and thankful. What prayers have been answered this week? What has the Lord done? How has he helped? Prayer is particularly vital in trials. That is what trials are chiefly for. Prayer has obligations which so often we do not keep. When did we last pray for labourers to be sent into the harvest? Do you ever join in corporate prayer at the church prayer meeting? Those are some of the obligations in prayer and its vital components.