God’s responses to our prayers – Part 9

Husband Ill-treating His Wife (Cont’)
Peter indicates that a husband who fails to live with his wife in an understanding way and to give her honour as a fellow child of God will damage his relation with God by creating a barrier between his prayers and God (cf.Col 3:19)

When The Request Is Wrong
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (Jas 4:3).

“You ask, and do not receive.” God refuses to answer the prayers of those who are selfishly ambitious, love pleasure and desire honour, power or riches (see v.1). All of us should take note, for God will not listen to our prayers if we have hearts filled with selfish desires. Scripture tells us God hears only the prayers of the righteous (Ps 34:13-15; 66:18-19), of those who call upon Him in truth (Ps 145:18), of the genuinely repentant and humble (Luke 18:14), and of those who ask according to His will (1John 5:14).

When The Timing Is Wrong
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” (Is 55:6)

“Seek the Lord.” We must seek God while there is still the promise of His response (cf. Jer 29:13-14; Hos 3:5; Amos 5:4, 6, 14). God’s time of salvation is limited (cf. 2Cor 6:1-2); a day is coming when He will refuse to be found (see Heb 3:7-11).

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12: They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it,” (Amos 8:11-12).

The people had no appetite for God’s word when prophets like Amos brought it. Because of their apathy, God said he would take away even the opportunity to hear His word. We have God’s word, the Bible. But many still look everywhere for answers to life’s problems except in the scripture. You can help them by directing them to the Bible, showing them the parts that speak to their special needs and questions.

God’s Word is available to us. Let us help people know it before a time comes when they cannot find it.
8:11 “a famine … of hearing the words of the Lord.” Israel had repeatedly rejected the word of the Lord spoken to them through the prophets (2:11-12; 7:10-13,16); now they would receive what they desired.

1• God would send no prophet to them, and no word from God would come to them; in other words, whenever they might seek God’s guidance during the coming calamity, they would find only silence.