Genuine Prayer :: Deeper Devotion

By Glenn Ansley

Proverbs 28:9
He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

The sacrifice of the wicked (Proverbs 21:27), lying lips (Proverbs 12:22), and those who justify themselves in the sight of men (Luke 16:15) are all despised by the Lord. This makes sense, but Proverbs 28:9 reminds us that anyone who prays while living a life of disobedience is just as despised. Those who foolishly believe that they can live their lives in whatever manner they see fit, and then come to the Lord when they are in trouble, have the wrong impression of our God and Father. Does that scare you? It should.

God longs to hear from us when we are in need, He wants us to come to Him for wisdom, protection, blessings and comfort. Nonetheless, we are to never assume that He acts as some heavenly Santa Clause pouring out gifts upon our every request. He is a just God and requires that we are pure and spotless before approaching His throne. He sent His only Son to earth to die as a penalty for our sins. Through our acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice, we are accepted into God’s family and inherit eternal life with Him. Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten that Christ’s main purpose was to free us from the bondage of sin. When we allow this to happen we foolishly live our lives in disobedience to His word, approaching Him only when we are in need. It is no wonder that we so often ask, “Why does it seem like God never listens to my prayers?” His Son has offered up His life so that we may be free from sin, yet we selfishly hold on to it, using Christ, our only avenue to the Lord, as a last minute escape in times of need.

When we accept Christ as the Lord of our lives, we do much more than simply ask God to forgive us of our sins; we express a true desire for repentance. To repent of your sins means that you will make a 180-degree turnaround and vow to never commit them again. To be sorry for your sins and to repent of them are two different actions. Our God requires us to totally repent of our sins when we accept Him as Lord of our lives. To only be sorry, yet to continue in our sin, is to give up the purest form of communication with our Father. Never forget that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins if we would just bring them before Him. He does not take joy in the individual that continues to sin while knowing it is wrong. This only hinders our relationship with God and negatively affects our prayer life.

How is your communication with the Lord? Do you find it difficult to come to Him with your wants and your needs? Do you sometimes feel as if He is nowhere to be found and cannot hear your requests? Be encouraged in knowing that our Lord will never leave you. While He hears all of your prayers, remember that He is more concerned with the state of your relationship than with your needs. If there consistent sins in your life or areas that you have not totally given over to the Lord I suggest that you do so. He who comes to the Lord in prayer must come with a pure heart. If you have sins in your life that you have not yet repented of, all other prayers will be of secondary concern to our Father. I pray that you first approach the Lord in repentance, and then in supplication. Only then will you find your prayers being answered.

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