the basic message # E94
Proverbs 15:29
The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayers of the righteous.
What do many religious and non-religious people have in common? They both pray to God when they’re in big trouble. Yes, most of us run to God when we get in a major jam. Serious illnesses, car accidents, divorce, and similar troubles make us realize just how helpless we are. So does God treat all prayer equally? The passage above clearly tells us that God only hears the prayers of the righteous. Not fair!, some folks may holler, but why isn’t it fair? Perhaps God regarded prayer differently in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. Let’s see:
1 Peter 3:12
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
The New Testament book of 1 Peter reiterates yet another passage from Proverbs, so apparently God still feels the same way. Does this mean non-Christians have no chance to get prayers answered?
James 5:15-16
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
“powerful and effective”- man, that’s quite a statement. How does a man (or woman) get to be righteous so that their prayer will be heard? Simple, ask Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior and to purify your life. “But I don’t want to be a Holy Roller!” No one’s asking you to, but you can't be righteous on your own accord- you must follow Christ. “What do I have to give up?” Giving up stuff isn’t the path to righteousness, but sincerely asking Jesus to take over your life and sanctify you (set you apart) is a necessity. Once you give your life back to God through Jesus Christ, he can begin the clean-up job. For those who haven’t entered into this relationship with Christ, let me share something with you: when Jesus begins to remove the impurity from your life, you won’t miss it nearly as much as you might think. In fact, you’ll probably wonder how you ever lived that way to begin with.
Will becoming a Christian guarantee you an answer to every prayer? Yes, but you must remember that there are three possible answers to prayer: Yes, No, Not right now. Being a Christian in no way promises smooth-sailing for us in this life. Many times I have prayed and the answer came back “No”, or “Not right now”. No is actually easier to take since you can move on and get over it, but Not right now is tough since you don’t know when the prayer will be answered. Another piece of advise for those who are tempted to enter into a legalistic relationship with God: if you give your life to Christ and immediately ask for your troubles to be over, be ready for the answer no. If you plan to walk away from Christ if your prayer isn’t answered, don’t waste your time, since God knows ahead of time what’s in your heart. You’ve got to be able to turn your entire life over to God and step out of the way. What may appear to be a cold-hearted “No’ could be the beginning of a path that leads to a life much better than you asked for. God is an all-knowing and loving Heavenly Father, but if you don’t trust him completely, he’ll have a tough time helping you.