(Prov 28:9 WEB) He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
This morning we continue our “Unlocking the Power of Proverbs – Walking in the Wisdom of God” series. Here Solomon makes a statement that should remind us to live right before the Lord. When we fail to receive God’s Word, we are failing to receive Him, His instruction, and His ways. To drive home the point of how much God honors His Word, Solomon says that the person who turns his ear from the law (or Word of God) is so wrong before God that even his prayer is an abomination. The Message Bible paraphrase of this verse reads, “God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him.”
People don’t like to read scriptures like this, because our God is a loving, caring, and sharing heavenly Father and we don’t like to think of Him as someone who refuses anyone. However, I don’t believe Solomon is saying that God will turn His back on a sinner. God is always willing to hear the cry of a sinner and to openly offer Him Salvation through the shed blood of Jesus the Christ. I believe Solomon is referring to a believer who has allowed their disobedience to disrupt the fellowship they have with the Father. For you to understand this you must first understand what prayer is. We recently finished a four-month-long series on prayer and in the series I shared the following in a response to this question, What is Prayer?
1. Prayer is agreeing with God’s plans and purposes, in order for them to be accomplished in the earth.
2. Prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference.
3. Prayer is man exercising his legal authority in the earth to invoke heaven’s influence on the planet.
4. Prayer is the creation getting the Creator involved in any given situation.
If you look at these definitions for prayer, then you can see how prayer is about God’s will being done in the earth, through a person who sets his faith in agreement with God and His Word. Now, if you willingly turn from God’s Word, then how can you agree with it? If you disregard and disrespect God’s Word, then how can you release your faith for God’s will to be done in the earth? The obvious answer is… you can’t. So yes, the prayer of a person who is willingly living in sin can become an abomination to the Lord, because this person is attempting to get something FROM God without wanting God Himself. No, prayer must be birthed from your intimacy with the Father. God is not a puppet and you are not His puppeteer. On the other hand, you don’t have to be perfect in order for God to hear your prayers. Anyone who claims to be without sin is a self-righteous liar (see 1 Jn 1:8). We all sin, but Solomon is talking about someone who has chosen to live in sin. As believers we might sin, but we ought not live in sin and as soon as we do sin, we are to quickly repent and receive forgiveness and cleansing (1 Jn 1:9).
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. A sinner can always call out to God for salvation and He will hear the sinner’s cry.
2. If you willingly live in sin your prayer life will be hindered; sin is a blessing-blocker.
3. When you appropriate God’s grace, and you receive the forgiveness of sin by the blood of Jesus, you are able to pray with confidence, knowing the Father will freely commune with you!
4. The prayer of the righteous, prayed from a believing heart, in accordance with God’s Word (His will), releases the power of God in the earth.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You fore hearing my cry when I was a sinner and for saving me by Your grace. The debt for my sin has been paid in full and for that I will never cease to give You praise. I know that being a believer does not mean that I will be sinless, however, I should sin less. I no longer willingly live in sin. When I sin I quickly repent, I receive Your forgiveness, I forgive myself, and I move on. I refuse to allow satan to get me over into condemnation, because condemnation will strip me of all confidence. The Holy Spirit convicts me of sin, but He does not condemn me and as soon as I repent, I am able to make prayers to You in full confidence. When I pray, You hear me, and You respond to my faith. Thank You Father for inclining Your ear to my prayers. I make good use of my access to You today by praying in faith, from a believing heart, with full confidence, in accordance with Your Word, and together we make a difference in the earth! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
