JEREMIAH 11:13-14
“For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of
the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the
time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.”
Two men were talking one day. One of them said, “My wife talks to herself a lot.” His friend
answered, “Mine does too, but she doesn’t know it. She thinks I’m listening.”
Many Christians are like that. They pray, thinking that they are being heard, but God isn’t listening.
Likewise, Israel placed a great emphasis on prayer. David said that he prayed every morning (Ps. 5:3;
88:13; 143:8).
The sons of Korah exclaimed, “O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before
You” (Ps. 88:1). Without question, such devotion is commendable. But the people of Jeremiah’s day
had so profaned their relationship with the Lord that He said, “I will not hear them in the time that
they cry out to Me because of their trouble.”
Sin interferes with our prayer life. God cannot honor our requests for help when we need to ask for
His forgiveness instead. It’s amazing how quickly we turn to prayer when we face problems and
expect God to deliver us. Yet we are filled with indifference or even outright defiance the rest of the
time. In such situations God says, “I’m not listening.”
If you are not seeing answers to your prayers, make sure that there is no known sin in your life that is
preventing God from responding (Ps. 66:18). Confess your sin and get rid of those attitudes or actions
you know can’t be pleasing to God, and then the road will be cleared for Him to answer your requests.
Claim the cleansing blood of Christ to open the pipeline of prayer.
PRAYER ONLY WORKS WHEN THE CHANNELS ARE OPEN.
WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in