lunes, febrero 23, 2015

No Two Ways About It.

It is amazing to me to think about the number of people who pray to a God they don't even believe in; what is even more amazing is that they think He'll hear their prayers and help them out of a tough spot.  The prayers of wicked, deceitful people will only condemn them.  (Psalm 109.)  Proverbs 15:8 says, "The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him."  Verse 29 of the same chapter says, "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous."  Pro. 29:8 warns us that if any one turns a deaf ear to the law (love God and love your neighbor), even his prayers are detestable.  Just to make it clear, we are again reminded in Pro. 21:27 that the sacrifices of the wicked are detestable.
David knew that God wouldn't listen to his prayers if he was harboring sin in his heart.  (Ps. 66: 18.)  David writes in Psalm 4 that " . . . the Lord set apart the Godly for Himself.  The Lord will hear when I call to Him."  In Psalm 86, David is confident that God will hear and help Him.  His confidence is based on the fact that he is wholeheartedly devoted to God.  He is full of praises for God, and seeks earnestly to glorify Him all his days.  Ps. 145:18 says that God is near to all who call upon Him in truth.

The bottom line is that if you want God to hear your prayers and help you, you must come before Him in sincerity and truth.  You cannot love sin and love God; you must make a choice.

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