“Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me.” (Psalms 66:20)
It’s not known exactly who wrote this psalm, but whoever wrote this psalm gives away the fact that there may have been a reason that he didn’t expect his prayer to be heard. I think we all have been there at one time or another due to our disobedience, busyness, distractions, negligence or even doubt. We are surprised and grateful when the Lord responds. God’s mercy and His goodness bring us to repentance, thankfulness and worship much like the psalmist.
In our human earthly thinking, we feel that our disobedience, busyness, distractions, negligence and doubts automatically disqualify our prayer from being heard by God. And there are Scriptures to back this up. Isaiah, in 1:10-18, prophesies against the sinners who were as shameless as those of Sodom and Gomorrah. “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” (Isaiah 1:15) Yet God’s mercy was always present to those who repented. And we see this in the Old Testament over and over again. In this same prophecy, God shows His mercy. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 1:18-20)
In the New Testament Peter writes: “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” (1Peter 3:10-12) There are some who think they are saved but are not. The Bible says that we will know them by their fruit. (Matthew 7:16) Their fruit will be evidence of whether they have the Holy Spirit indwelling.
If the Lord was merciful to those who were not His children, who were not cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb and whose sins were not nailed to the cross would He be less merciful to His children who are born again of His Spirit, cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb and whose sins were taken away by the Son of God, Jesus, on the cross? This is not to say we can be flippant in our prayers. This is to say that God is merciful and knows our hearts.
Yes, we may be disobedient and fail. But our sins were forgiven at the cross. When sin in our flesh is revealed, it’s the prompting of the Holy Spirit for repentance and confession (1John 1:9) It’s the sanctification and cleansing we need. It’s an opportunity to grow more into the image of Christ. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2Corinthians 3:18)
Because we live in this world, we get busy. We have our families, our jobs and many obligations. We may get too busy, too distracted and too neglectful in the things of God. What happens then is that we recognize our failings and doubt begins to creep in about our relationship with the Lord. John addressed this. “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” (1John 3:19-21) What has happened is not that God has left us because of our neglect. He has not turned His face from us and our prayers. Our guilt, because we know we have been neglectful, causes our hearts to condemn us. It’s not God Who condemns us. (Romans 8:1) Again, when we recognize our guilt and why we feel condemned, we must repent and confess this sin. Our hearts must be free of condemnation to have confidence toward God and to have faith. John gives us this encouragement: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1John 5:14-15)
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