Detestable Prayers

Detestable Prayers:

Our cultural notion of prayer - and the whole of Christian life - today is a reflection of our malignant attitude of entitlement. I recently read a comment by James Harrison (NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers) about him taking “participation trophies” from his kids. Harrison said, “I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best…”

When we approach God apart from any sense of biblical awareness, void of any humility, bereft of any sense of fear or worship… then our attitude is one of privilege and prerogative - just like kids who believe they are “entitled to something just because they tried their best.”

God’s standard is, was, and will always be 100% holy perfection - without exception. That is why humanity is utterly, thoroughly, and unconditionally ruined apart from Jesus Christ. We do not need a “great moral teacher” or a “divine example” to follow; what we need is a new and perfect King to sit on the throne of a new heart; a heart that loves and serves God not self. It is ONLY through the perfect righteousness of Jesus, the unique God-Man, that we are turned from despised, depraved, egotistical sinner into the welcomed children of God.

Many pastors and preachers today serve up warm-fuzzy feel good messages for the masses; messages shorn and stripped of any truth regarding human depravity, the necessity of perfect or eternal payment for rebellion, or the power of God to reveal, rescue, and redeem. Even this pathetic and cosmetic teaching was foretold in Scripture:

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

-2 Timothy 4:3

For those who believe they can dabble in religion whilst their hearts are more deeply concerned with their children, career goals, health, appearance, or home and garden… For those who have uttered promises to God in the past regarding what they would do if only God would listen and answer - only later to write off answered prayer as coincidence or unbinding due to ‘emotional duress’... For those who know that God’s Word (i.e. the Bible) says ______________ on a particular matter (adultery, premarital sex, tithing, parenting, etc.), but have rationalized it away saying, “I know, but MY situation is complicated and different…”  Know that there is no rest or peace for you while you choose to abide in unresolved sin and willfully reject God’s sovereign authority in EVERY area of your life.

God is not a God of religious convenience or well-mannered pleasantries. He is Sovereign and will have all of you - or none.

The truth is never “complicated.” It demands simple obedience that only comes from the power of absolute faith in God. Until you repent, confess, and surrender you are merely seeking a blessing from God that will thankfully and mercifully never come. God would not be a God of love if He allowed us to continue on a path of sin that would lead to our eventual and eternal undoing.

The glorious reality check and wake-up call for people comes from God’s Word regarding the condition of our heart when approaching God in prayer:

“We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.”

-John 9:31

“If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.”

-Proverbs 28:9

“The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”

-Proverbs 15:29

The truth is revealed to us in God’s Word through reading, preaching, and teaching. As Oswald Chambers notes, “You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ or for going back as a deserter.”

The next time you determine to approach God in prayer be sure to do so in a spirit of humility and worship. Spend time reflecting upon who He is and what He has done - then PRAISE Him for those things before you utter a request or petition. Some of the best examples come from the book of Psalms:

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

-Psalm 46:10

If the mountains of life are staying put then consider the sincerity and veracity of your prayers in light of 1 John 5:14-15. Are you merely seeking a “participation trophy” for trying your best - OR - have you surrendered your entire life, heart, and will to our Great Redeemer - Jesus Christ? Is it that your prayers are truly for HIS WILL to be done in and through your life - OR - are you merely lofting up foolhardy prayers for God’s deliverance from the consequences and circumstances of juvenile behaviors and selfish choices apart from genuine repentance?

Are your prayers pleasing or detestable to God? Is your life?

Blessings,

-Kevin