In the Bible, there is this concept of praying amiss that I wish all prayer warriors would become familiar with. Why? Because all that time spent in prayer and night vigils might be wasted if they are praying in a way that God does not accept. When we pray, we have to call upon God in truth. This is how Psalm 145.18 puts it. “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”
A quick study of that verse implies it is possible to call upon God in falsehood or dishonesty. Ouch! You have to wonder how many of our prayers (not the private ones) are calls to God that we make in untruth. We make a distinction between private prayers and public ones. That is because when we pray in private, we tend to tell it like it is. It is when we pray in public that we try to varnish our prayers, pretending to be saints.
Recall the story Jesus told of the Pharisee at prayer. He was definitely not able to call upon God in truth. Indeed, the Bible says he prayed with Himself, not to God. The poor man thought he was something special, and it should not surprise us that God did not (could not) respond to his bragging. How does it make you feel when somebody always boasts? You feel like getting away from them. Now, think how this Pharisee’s failure to call upon God in truth must have made God feel.
God Does Not Listen Unless We Call Upon Him In Truth
The God who says we should worship Him in Spirit and in truth must walk away from such prayers. Remember that we are considering why God’s promises do not manifest in our lives, despite our prayers and service. Failure to call upon God in truth is a major reason that God cannot stand our prayers. And that being so, how will He answer a prayer He did not stick around long enough to hear?
Jesus’s middle name is truth, as we read in John 14.6. Jesus said to His disciples. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Do you suppose the one who is truth would listen to any prayer where we fail to call upon Him in truth? It cannot happen. Once we know that, there is freedom. If you are praying in church, lower your voice so that your neighbor will not think less of you for your honest prayers.
If you are angry with God, it is better to let God know about it. The God who invites us to “come and let us reason together” will reason with you. And you will receive an answer of peace. Perhaps your head is aching. God already knows, but if you pretend to be okay, He will turn His face away from such falsehood. The Bible says He is too holy to behold the iniquity of lies. Most likely, you will go home with a worse headache.
Change Is Not Automatic
I realize change is difficult, but you can do this; call upon Him in truth, particularly if you are desperate for God. You need Him to start answering your prayers, but there is more. Did you notice how the Bible says that God is near to those who call upon Him in truth? When people shout and agonize, they expose themselves as people to whom God is not near.
If someone is in the same room as you, will you shout at them to get their attention? If you do, they are likely to inform you that they are not deaf. Perhaps shouting is why God had to tell us that He is not deaf, in Isaiah 59.1-2. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save. Nor is His ear heavy,(deaf) that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”
I do not believe the case could be any plainer. You yell when you pray because God is not near you. And the reason He is not near you is your failure to call upon Him in truth. That is a major iniquity that causes the separation between you and God. How can God’s promises manifest in a life that is not near Him? This verse in Isaiah explains it. God’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save. He does not answer your petitions because He is far from you for your insistence on praying amiss.
A Call Upon Him In Truth Saved The Thief On The Cross
How much time do you need to pray before God answers? God is instant in His answers to prayers that call upon Him in truth. Take the thief on the cross. He did not pretend or try to paint his situation. He called out to Jesus, and Jesus immediately responded. It is the same way God answers those who call upon Him in truth.
Similarly, the publican in the temple at the same time as the Pharisee to whom we earlier referred was real. He beat his chest and lamented his sinfulness, ending the prayer to God with a call upon Him in truth. Jesus commented that the man went home justified. That is another way of saying the promises of God went home with him. How about me? What about you? Let us stop the pretense and call upon Hin in truth today.
Maranatha!
