1 post from August 2009

Effective Prayer

This short book on prayer by R.C. Sproul packs a wallop.  Some paragraphs featured a great thought in every sentence.  For some reason-I was effected by the chapter on the prohibitions on prayer in which R.C. writes on the following verses:

All the verses have the same theme:

Psalm 109:7-⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
       and may his prayers condemn him.

John 9:31-³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.

Proverbs 15:29-²⁹ The LORD is far from the wicked
       but he hears the prayer of the righteous

Proverbs 28:9- ⁹ If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
       even his prayers are detestable.

Sproul goes on to write that this is about confession.  "Without confession there is no forgiveness of sin." (p. 64)  These verses are not telling us to sin more but that an "integral part of prayer is confession."