“One who turns away from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”—Proverbs 28:9
If you are the type of person who lives any way you want and only prays when it is convenient for you, the scripture above explains why your prayers may not be answered. God sees everything you do and knows everything about you. So, what’s the use in praying, if you’re going to disobey the law? If you’re going to do what you’re going to do anyway, why bother praying to God? Do you think a judge would grant your request, despite your refusal to obey the law? If not, then why petition the court to rule in your favor?
Stop wasting your time making prayers and petitions, if you’re not obeying God’s law. God is no fool to bless you when you choose to make a habit of disrespecting Him through your blatant disobedience to His Word. Until you truly repent of your sins and turn your heart to love and serve God, by doing His will, your prayers are falling on deaf ears.
Actually, the scriptures say that your prayers will not be attended to because they are disgusting (aka an abomination) to God. God’s ears are open to the prayers of the righteous, but He turns His face away and closes His ears to those who do evil.—Psalm 34:15-16
So, how can you get God to hear you and answer your prayers?
- Start by asking God to forgive you of your sins.
- Do it sincerely from your heart, and make a decision to turn from those sins and to do what is right in God’s eyes.
- Read and study the Word of God to know what His will is.
- Don’t be a repeat offender and abuse God’s grace.
Although God is merciful and forgiving, He is also a righteous judge. He is also just; and justice will be served, unless someone else steps in to intercede for your pardon. And someone did! Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son, stepped in and became the atonement for your sins; and now He intercedes for you by reminding His Father that He already paid the price for you. Jesus paid it with His blood by dying on the cross.
Therefore, it is imperative that you truly repent from your sins and live in obedience to God’s Word. The 10 Commandments, reduced to two commandments (i.e. the greatest and the second greatest) comprise the law of God. In short, you are to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus’ intercession for you should cause you to walk in fear and trembling of what God could do to you, if it wasn’t for the love of His son. It should make you want to do everything possible to live a life that is pleasing to God. You should be grateful for the sacrifice that Jesus made with His life, so that God—the Righteous Judge—would have mercy on you.
Yet, knowing that Jesus paid it all does not give you the right to continue living in sin, thereby abusing His grace. There may come a time when grace will run out on you; when your privileges run out and there is no more pardon for your sins. You can’t expect to just do what you want and expect God to bless you. Even if you give your tithes and offerings, God will not hear your prayers. He prefers obedience more than the little money you want to sacrifice to Him; more than all the good deeds you do for others; more than anything else you could do to prove you’re a “good” person.
God cannot and will not tolerate sin. And He will not tolerate you abusing His Son (i.e. spilling His blood and crucifying Him) all over again. There will come a time when God says, “Enough!” Enough of your foolishness! Enough of you taking advantage of His kindness and mercy! Enough of you trampling on His Son, abusing His grace and taking Him for granted! And when God blocks His ears from hearing your prayers and closes His eyes from seeing you, you’ve offended Him to the point where He can’t stand to hear your voice; and He can’t stand to look at you.
Thankfully, there is hope, if you earnestly repent from your sins and seek to live in obedience to God’s laws. He will hear you and He will bless you! A broken and contrite heart, He will not despise.–Psalm 51:17 But, if God’s people who are called by His name would humble themselves and pray; if they would seek His face and turn from their wicked ways; then, He will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.–2 Chronicles 7:14
God wants to hear you and He wants to bless you, but only if you humbly repent from your sins. Don’t think you can fool God by continuing to live in sin, while praying for blessing and favor. You are only fooling yourself, because God’s favor rests on those who reverence and obey Him. He looks at the heart, and knows whether you are sincere or just a pretender. So, stop sinning, and show the Lord some gratitude for His love. Love Him back by obeying His Word. It’s for your benefit anyway!
A Wellspring Of Thought 