I come across a few writings that try and describe why God does not listen to the prayers of those who do not follow Him. It is like these people who write such nonsense do not even know who God is. They are so focused on judgement that grace has all but left their souls. So when I read this portion of scripture this morning I was thrilled that this king, who had left God long ago, when he needed God most and called on His name, God answered and saved him.
The people of Israel were a praying people. God could have easily not listened or even rejected the prayer, but God did listen and He did not reject it and gave them success against their enemy. The gracious answer God gave was not for the sake of the king who prayed it, but rather in the remembrance of His covenant with Abraham. God is swift to show mercy, ready to hear my prayers and will find a reason to be gracious even if He has to look so far back as that ancient covenant.
This brings up Hosea which contains some sickness-healing terminology. Read Hosea 5:8 – 6:6 GNT
This same type of prayer is shown in Abraham’s prayer for Abimelech to be healed of his sterility. It is also present when Moses prayed for Miriam to be healed of her leprosy. Also in the prayer of Hezekiah of his own healing.
I will close with the prayer of the Psalmist who concentrates on prayer and provides some basic guidelines on how to pray.
With all my heart I call to you;
answer me, Lord, and I will obey your commands!
I call to you;
save me, and I will keep your laws.
Before sunrise I call to you for help;
I place my hope in your promise.
All night long I lie awake,
to meditate on your instructions.
Because your love is constant, hear me, O Lord;
show your mercy, and preserve my life!
My cruel persecutors are coming closer,
people who never keep your law.
But you are near to me, Lord,
and all your commands are permanent.
Long ago I learned about your instructions;
you made them to last forever. – Psalm 119:145-152 GNT
- I am called to pray with all my heart. Before I can pray at all I need to pray for myself for a heart that is on fire to serve God. That means I turn to Him to save me.
- I am called to pray first thing in the morning until the evening, unceasingly. It is to purposely cultivate an attitude of prayer.
- I am to realize that my prayer is an act of responding to God’s love and not only for emergency measures. It is not about asking but about a love relationship.
- My prayer acknowledges that I am able to discern and keep alert to the things of God.
- Prayer and listening to the Word brings me into His presence.
“Now he is a man of just and holy life who forms an unprejudiced estimate of things, and keeps his affections also under strict control, so that he neither loves what he ought not to love, nor fails to love what he ought to love, nor loves that equally which ought to be loved either less or more, nor loves less or more which ought to be loved equally. No sinner is to be loved as a sinner; and every man is to be loved as a man for God’s sake; but God is to be loved for His own sake. And if God is to be loved more than any man, each man ought to love God more than himself” – Augustine
The Practice of Prayer 