God does not expect you to be perfect. But he does expect you to be obedient. Recognize your sins – no matter how small they may seem – and confess them to the Lord. Then rejoice in the assurance of his forgiveness.
Are there some prayers that never reach God’s heart?
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and, yes, I believe that some of my prayers never reached God’s ear. I was aware of this a few months ago. I had been out to a dinner party, but now I was home, in bed, late at night, and I was praying. I was quoting to God several Psalms from my bed, Psalms I’ve memorized – I often include words of Scripture as part of my prayer. Anyway, the more I quoted God’s Word in my prayer, the more uneasy I felt. Something was wrong. And there, late at night, in bed, I sensed something wasn’t quite right. And so, I paused and I took a minute to examine my soul. What was going on? What was troubling my spirit? And then I saw it. Why hadn’t I seen it earlier? It was a lie. A subtle, understated lie – call it falsehood, call it fabrication or distortion; call it merely dishonest statements, or pretense. You can call it a fib. You choose whatever word might whitewash the truth, but underneath all the nice words, those things are still lies.
It had happened at the dinner party. Someone had asked me a question about the different countries I’ve traveled to over the years; and he mentioned one nation in particular – a place in the Middle East – and without thinking, I said, “Oh, yes, I’ve been there.” Oh, my goodness, had the gentleman pressed me further, I would’ve been in real trouble. Because I really had not “been” to that country; I was only there on a six-hour layover in the airport. And that hardly qualifies for visiting a country, right? And deep down, there in bed, I knew it.
And so, that night, late in bed, I felt ashamed and I had to stop praying. My spirit forbid me to send up any more words of worship. They would’ve meant nothing to God. Instead, I had to do business with my soul and confess my sin. And as I confessed my transgression before the Lord, I knew I would also have to tell that gentleman the truth about my airport layover. I’d have to ask him to forgive me. A few weeks later, our paths did cross and I reminded him of our conversation, sharing that I had not been forthcoming with the truth. He laughed it off and said, “No matter.” But no. It was important enough to matter – to him, to me, and to the Lord, because there’s this sticky verse in Psalm 66 that says, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
So, is the Bible telling us that God won’t hear our prayers if we sin? Well, God does not expect you to be perfect, but he does expect you to be obedient. It is not the person who is without sin whose prayers are answered; it is the person who recognizes his sin but pleads for grace to overcome it. God will not heed your prayers if you make no effort to overcome your sin and are content to remain in it. John 9:31 says that God does not listen to sinners, but “if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.” So do not take prayer lightly. And certainly do not take your sin lightly. God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but he does expect you to be obedient. And nothing feels more liberating than sincere confession, for “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That verse is from 1 John 1:9. And it’s a great verse with which to begin your prayers because you want to make certain that all your prayers – all your worship, all your praise and intercession – reach God’s heart. Go today to joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends