Lord, teach us to pray (Part IV)
Posted By admin on November 24, 2008
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 (St. John 9:31).
Another condition of our infirmities is sin. Infirmity is a state of spiritual weakness and a condition of walking in the flesh. The presence of sin in our lives can be a major infirmity and hinderence to answered prayers. Our infirmities sometimes get on the way of our prayers. Our infirmities make us to ask amiss (Part I), to be unforgiving (Part II), and to be doubtful (Part III), not have faith when we pray, and to be sinful (Part IV), thus resulting in us not obtaining what we ask for when praying. God says he will not hear us if our hands are full of blood (Isaiah 1:15). If we want God to hear us, we have to wash the blood on our hands.
There is a blessing in obeying the voice of God and a curse in disobedience. And that blessings, sometimes means receiving our desires when we pray. Israel defeated Jericho by obeying God, and was defeated in Ai through disobedience to the word of God. Jericho was mightier and stronger than Ai, yet the presence of sin within the camp of Israel cost Israel to be defeated by a smaller and weaker Ai (Joshua chapters 6 &7).
Paul mentioned praying with holy hands (I Timothy 2:8). Holy hands is a metaphor for a holy life. God tells us in Isaiah 1:15 that He will not hear us when we pray if our hands are full of blood, that is if our lives are sinful hence, “the Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29).
For our prayers to be acceptible to God, we need to remove sin in our lives. In II Chronicles 7:14 God promises to hear us, to forgive us and to heal us on condition that we repent, that is remove our sins from ourselves. St. John 9:31 testifies to the fact that “God heareth not sinners”. It is to our own good to obey God, because there is a blessing. The bible encourages us to “choose life that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19). Do you desire your prayers to be answered? Try obedience, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (I Samuel 15:22) and experience what Proverbs 19:10 means when saying:”The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him” (Nahum 1:7).
COGSOC Copy Right © November/Bul 2008
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