How can we ensure God hears our prayers, unlike Saul in 1 Samuel 28:6? The Sobering Example of Saul • “He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.” (1 Samuel 28:6) • Saul’s silence from God was not random. It followed a repeated pattern of rebellion—refusing to wait for Samuel (1 Samuel 13), sparing Agag and the best livestock (1 Samuel 15:22-23), and finally consulting a medium (1 Samuel 28:7). • The lesson: persistent disobedience hardens a heart until even earnest-sounding prayers hit a closed heaven. Reasons God Fell Silent • Cherished sin: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18) • Ignored Word: “He who turns his ear away from listening to the law, even his prayer is detestable.” (Proverbs 28:9) • Wrong motives: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.” (James 4:3) • Broken relationships: “Husbands… so that your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7) Heart Postures That Invite God’s Ear • Repentance: “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) • Obedience: “The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29) • Faith in Christ: “This is the confidence we have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14) • Persistence with humility: “Knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7-8) Practical Steps for Today’s Believers 1. Examine your life daily. Confess known sin immediately (1 John 1:9). 2. Stay in the Word. Let Scripture correct attitudes before they sabotage prayer (Psalm 119:11). 3. Align requests with God’s will. Pray kingdom priorities first (Matthew 6:9-10). 4. Forgive others quickly (Mark 11:25). Unforgiveness erects barriers heavenward. 5. Cultivate righteousness in practical choices—speech, finances, relationships (James 5:16). 6. Pray in Jesus’ name, trusting His merit, not personal worthiness (John 14:13-14). 7. Keep asking with childlike trust, even when answers delay (Luke 18:1-8). Encouragement from God’s Promises • “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.” (Isaiah 59:1) • “The prayer of a righteous man has great power and produces results.” (James 5:16) • “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) Faithfulness, repentance, and alignment with God’s revealed will kept David’s harp heard and silenced Saul’s crown. Choose the heart God delights to answer, and heaven will never be mute. |
    |