Loading... PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS - Proverbs 15:29
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous. Hearing and answering your prayers are two different things. Just because your boss hears you ask him for a raise, it does not mean that he must give it to you. The same is true with God, if you are righteous, the Lord hears your prayers; HE knows your needs and HE will not forsake you.
You must understand that there is nothing that distances you from God faster than your sin. It was sin that deprived Adam and Eve the ability to walk with God every single day. It was the death of Christ on the cross that restored your ability to have fellowship with God once again. Thus if you desire to have a close personal relationship with God in which HE hears your prayers, then you need to be righteous and you need to abstain from sin.
No man can be perfect and live a life abstaining from sin. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Nonetheless, Solomon tells us that a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again (Proverbs 24:16). The word just used in this verse is the same Hebrew word used for righteous in Proverbs 15:29. The wicked man falls and rather than getting out of his sin, he continues to roll around in it like a pig in the mud. A righteous man will fall, but instead of being proud of his iniquity, he will get out of it and continue to pursue the things of God.
It does not matter what sin you have committed, God is looking at your response to your sin. Do you ask God to forgive you and then jump right back into your evil ways, or do you make an effort to get up and not commit the same sin again. David had a heart after the heart of God, however, that did not stop him from committing adultery and murder. David was judged of God for his sins. Even though David had sinned, it did not stop him from asking God to spare his son. God heard the prayers of David but HE did not answer them. However, God did not stop answer all prayers of David just because he committed adultery.
Do not be like the wicked who when they sin, choose to not to repent of their wicked ways. When you sin, you need to stand up again. You will probably sin again sometime real soon, but do not let your past mistakes hinder you from drawing closer to God. Many Christians will sin against God and they will throw such a pity party for themselves that they do not grow spiritually. They act like even though God has forgiven them, they cannot forgive themselves and as such, they refuse to grow closer to God. Such mixed up people might even go so far as to not ask God to forgive them because they have failed again for the umpteenth time.
When Peter asked Christ how many times he should forgive his brother for the exact same offense, Christ replied that Peter was to do so 7 x 70. If God holds us to the standard that we are to forgive our brother the same offense continually, what gives you the right to say that God will not forgive you for committing the same offense against him for the umpteenth time? God does not hold HIMSELF to a lesser standard than HE requires of you. God hears the prayers of the righteous and the righteous continues to stand up and seek forgiveness of God after he has violated the perfect law of God.
Do not give Satan the victory by refusing to get up again after you have fallen. Instead, when you fall, take the time to draw closer to God by adding knowledge of HIS ways. Understand that God hears the prayers of the righteous and that you must properly respond and continue to seek HIM.