Prayer

Yahweh is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Proverbs 15:29

Does God hear the prayers of everyone who prays? You might be surprised by the answer. The answer is no (except for one prayer). You might ask me how I can be so sure about my conclusion. The reason I make such a claim is because God’s Word is clear on this matter. Both in the Old and New Testament God mentions that the prayers of those that do not belong to Him fall on deaf ears.

In addition to Proverbs, we see the following in Isaiah 1:15, “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; Indeed, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.”

In the Gospel of John we read, “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.” (John 9:31)

An affirmation that we know that God hears the prayers of those who believe in Him is found in James 5:16b, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” The righteous are those who put their faith and trust in Christ alone.

Believers have the privilege to call God Father, and He desires us to have fellowship with Him through prayer (John 15:7). God desires the best for you. He wants you to come to him with your petitions and your intercessions for others (Ephesians 6:18).

I said that God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers. There is one exception to that statement. God does hear the prayer of a repentant sinner. He hears the man or woman who cries out to Him and admits that they are a sinner, that He is holy and they are not. He hears when they acknowledge that Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose again. He welcomes their prayer that acknowledges Jesus as the Lord of their life.

Are you sure that God hears your prayers this morning?

Your Shepherd,

Pastor Mark