Are your prayers detestable? - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) December 17, 2021

The word of God is like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces may be scattered all over the place but ultimately, they come together to create a coherent picture. The puzzle will always be incomplete when even one tiny piece is missing.

So it is with our approach to the word of God. Often times, we like to just pick and choose scripture to meet our needs. However, a lack of understanding of the Lord's complete word and our hubris to think we can cherry-pick verses can lead to problems. We need to study the Bible to get a better sense of what God will or won't do. To pray aright and live lives that please Him.

The Lord highlighted this to me earlier this week. He showed me how a particular prayer point of mine was a problem and thus, one He likely would never answer. This wasn't the first time I'd received such correction although this time, it hit me like a sucker punch! Listen, I had my supporting scripture down and I was convinced that my petition was worthy.

Nevertheless, God slowly and kindly opened my eyes to my folly. I repented and changed my very detailed prayer to a simple - "Lord, thy will be done."

Oh, but God wasn't done with me. A few days later, He introduced me to the following word: Proverbs 28:9 - If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.

Would this scripture apply to you? It is so blunt and unequivocal. If we ignore God's instructions our prayers will not only be ignored but they will be considered detestable!

Imagine how many of our prayers have been wasted because we've dismissed the word of the Lord? In fact, I strongly believe that this is why so many of us face certain, unnecessary difficulties. It is because we choose not to obey God yet expect Him to rise to our petitions and grant them.

So ask yourself, are you turning a deaf ear to God's instructions as contained in the Bible? Have you ever? Could one prayer or several of your prayers therefore be deemed detestable to Him?

This is not to discourage you from praying on the matters that concern you or praying for others. In fact, this is to spur you to seek out His word, strive to obey, and watch more of your prayers be answered. I know that's how this verse has motivated me.

What about you?