“The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” (Pr 15:29 AV)
This
is a plain as the nose on one’s face. It
doesn’t take years of study to discern the truth above. One doesn’t have to master the original
languages nor have years of insight to understand exactly what Solomon is
saying to his children. One does not
need to consult the commentators. The
professor's well-learned brain does not need to be referenced. The preacher’s words, although encouraging,
do not need to expound the truth above for the saint and sinner alike to gain a
deeper meaning. It is simple. It is basic.
Yet, we forget this simple truth.
When we pour our hearts out to God, do we consider first the condition
of our own hearts? Do we remember that
if we have sin in our hearts, the LORD will not hear us? This presumption is lost in the cloud of our
earnest need. There is no need to debate
the truth above. It is black and
white. There is no wiggle room. God hears the prayer of the righteous and He
is far from the presence of the wicked.
It truly is that simple.
Every
now and again, we see a headline wherein a politician claims to be praying for
something or someone. I imagine some may
know the LORD. However, if the people of
government are typical of the people who they govern, then few are. What offends this writer is when one of them
who obviously is not walking with God, claims to be praying for someone more on
the right side of things than they are.
A politician who will militantly support unfettered abortion or
same-gender marriage is not right with God let alone knows Him! Yet, the will come out and say their prayers
are for such and such or what’s his name.
How insulting. How presumptuous. However, the saint is equally presumptuous
when he or she does not first investigate the condition of the heart, confess
and seek forgiveness, and ask for power to overcome sin before we seek God’s
face on anything else. We assume God
hears us because our prayers are very important to us. Yet, our walk with God is important to
Him. We do not stop to consider how our
actions, choices, or disposition affects the Godhead. We count on His unbounded mercy to look
beyond our behavior and lend an ear.
Yet, the truth above applies just as much to the child of God as it does
for the lost. And for the same reason.
However,
let me take a more positive tack here.
The promise is what we want to end with.
That is, if we walk with God and keep short accounts with Him, He hears
our prayers. This is a promise we can
take to the bank. First, if we have
accepted Christ, we are made the righteousness of Christ in Him. Positionally speaking, we are righteous. We can rest assured that our prayers are
heard. God does not expect us to be
practically sinless before we seek His favor.
Otherwise, there would be no request or need for mercy. No, what the LORD asks is we be honest and
transparent. If we have faults, then
confess those faults. And herein is the
second application of this promise. If
we have confessed our sin and walk humbly with our God, then He hears us. Regardless of what we ‘sense’ or how our
prayers are answered, we know He hears the righteous. Our ‘feelings’ are just that. They are feelings. They may or may not be an indication of
reality. The verse above is a promise
that transcends our sense of reality. He
hears us. Period. So, there is both a challenge and an encouragement
this morning. The challenge is to walk
in righteousness before God and when we fail, to seek His mercy and forgiveness
for we know if we do, He will hear us when we pray. The word of encouragement is no matter what our
observations or heart might tell us if we walk with God in righteousness and
faith, we are promised that He hears us.
Glory to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment