A Voice in the Wilderness
site navigation
free newsletter
|
*** PORTIONS ***
Re: No Scripture? No Prayer!
"He who turns away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer is an
abomination." (Pr28:9)
Recently (May6) was our annual national "day of prayer". Our local Moody
station had some local big-wig call in to "pray" on-the-air over the
telephone around my get-up time. When I heard what was about to happen,
I hastened my getting out of bed, so I could turn them off. Why? I
utterly detest and loathe what is called "prayer" today; it makes my
skin crawl; even more than the so-called "worship" rock music! Why?
Christendom speaks of the "power of prayer". Or when one person is being
spiritually superior to another, they will smirk to the other, "prayer
changes things". Thing is; even people like Oprah believe in the "power
of prayer".
On the one hand, we have what is called the national "day of prayer".
But on the other, prayer has been banned from our public schools and
public government-funded events, like sports events and graduations.
Actually, I would suggest that this latter state of affairs is the more
'right' one. Why?
It is prophesied of Jesus when He came: "Why, when I came, was no one
here? I called and no one answered. Is My hand shortened at all so that
it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?" (Is50:2) And after
the event it was recorded: "He came to His own, and His own did not
receive Him." (Jn1:11)
Who is Jesus Christ? "In the beginning was the Word...the Word was God"
(Jn1:1) Even though Jesus had been proclaiming the "Words of Eternal
Life" (Jn6:68), the majority of the people left Him, and stopped
following. (vs66) They were complaining, "This is a hard saying (Word);
who is able to hear it?" (vs60) ...even though Moses had proclaimed
about God's Word: "..For this commandment which I am commanding you
today is not too difficult for you to understand, nor is it far off. But
the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may
do it." (De30:11,14)
You see... Israel did not love God in their hearts. And people today do
not love God in their hearts. Everybody talks about God, but God says:
"Whereas this people draw near with their mouth, and honor Me with their
lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward
Me is taught by the commandment of men;" (Is29:13)
In Is50:2 Messiah asks: "Is My hand shortened at all so that it cannot
redeem?" But notice why prayer is not answered: "Behold, Jehovah’s hand
is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor is His ear heavy, that it
cannot hear. But YOUR INIQUITIES have separated between you and your
God, and YOUR SINS have hidden His face from you, that He will not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has uttered perverseness. No one
calls for justice, nor does anyone plead for truth; they trust in vanity
and speak lies. They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity."
(Is59:1-4)
Does this passage not describe our modern societies to-a-tee! And yes,
also amongst those entities calling themselves "church" and "christian".
And where does such sin get its start? When people reject God's Word,
God's Law, God's Commandments. What is the -record- of God's Word? Yes,
the Scriptures.
Citing "separation of church and state", man has taken Scripture out of
the schools, and teaches satan's Darwinian evolution. So, indeed, if
they have taken the Scriptures out, it is MOST FITTING that they also
banned public "prayer" in school. (The world, of course, doesn't realize
that it is not possible to legislate prayer out of a True Believer's
life, because a Christian's life consists of prayer which is "without
ceasing" -1Th5:17) But indeed, if a society refuses God's Word, then BY
ALL MEANS, DO NOT (pretend to) PRAY! Such prayer is an "abomination" to
the Most High!
On a side note: I just read where the Southern Baptist Convention has
recently issued a statement to its membership, strongly urging people to
take their children out of the public school system, and either send
them to Christian schools, or home-school them. For true Christian
families, to such an exhortation I say a hearty, Amen!
So, dear reader:
What is your prayer life like? Do you sense a distance between you and
God? Do you feel like your praying is by rote? Do you not know the
fellowship of God's presence? Is your life spiritually empty?
OK then, here are some other questions: Do you love God's Word? Do you
-obey- God's Word? Or do you spend your time reading the "Dummies Guide
to the Bible"? Or if you read a book that says "Bible" on the front
cover, is it one of these perversions that is said to be "easier to
read"? As you interprete what the Bible "means to you", do you make
excuses as to why the Bible "doesn't really mean" what it says? Such
excuses, of course, are because: if the Bible really means what it says,
then you would have to make some drastic changes in your life, and would
have to give up your independence and doing things the way you like to
do them, and you simply cannot have any of that, therefore, since you
assume God is full of graaaeeeessse, and it "doesn't matter", that God
"accepts you just as you are"...in all your sin, therefore, the Bible
surely -must- mean something else...so you excuse it away.
Mmmm! Uhhh... Are you, even, a Child of God???
When God comes to you through His Word, what does He find? Does He
react: "I came, but no one was here! I called, but nobody answered"
(Is50:2) ?? Does He find that you have "..turned [your] back to [Him]
and not [your] face..." (Jer2:27-29) ??
Well, then, don't expect anything from your prayers, either! In fact,
just STOP IT right now! Stop pretending to pray! He does not hear you!
Your prayers are an abomination!
Amen!
|