An unpolluted prayer

I cried out to him with my mouth;

his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened

and has heard my prayer.

Praise be to God,

who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld his love from me!

Psalm 66:17-20

Prayer is a sincere desire that comes from the heart of man and reaches towards the ears of God. Prayer is a continuous heartfelt communication with an audience of One.

A prayer from a heart that is unwilling to abandon itself completely from sin, will not be heard by the Lord.  Our prayers can become polluted.

But we are human.  We all sin.  Everyday.  So how it is then that God can hear our prayers?  The answer is simple.  He sees the condition of the heart.  

A heart that truly repents does not cherish sin.  It's more than just saying I'm sorry.  True repentance is being sorry enough to stop and change.

If my people 

who are called by my name 

will humble themselves

and pray and seek my face

and turn from their wicked ways,

 then I will hear from heaven

and I will forgive their sin

and heal their land. 

Now my eyes will be open

and my ears attentive to the prayer offered. 

2 Chronicles 7:14-15

 Photo by @sydneyhoek

An unpolluted prayer has power.  As it reaches the throne room of grace, you can trust that he will not reject your prayer. You can be confident that he is listening to the cry of your heart.  His love will not be withheld. Praise be to God!

Listen: Search Me, Know Me by Kathryn Scott

Search me, O God, 

and know my heart!

Psalm 139: 23