One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
   - Proverbs 28:9

This is a very strong statement for God to make. Can our prayer really be an abomination---or detestable, as another translation puts it? Yes, God says so! He is thoroughly "turned off" by many of the prayers He hears. He asserts this unequivocally here.

It is easy even for Christians to forget who God is. He is the Almighty One, unique in His person, supreme in majesty and power, Creator and Sustainer of all things, the universal Lawgiver. He spoke and the worlds came into being. He is Author of every law of science and Author, too, of the law He gave His earthly people, Israel, on Mount Sinai.

This great God loves us and has given us the Bible, His holy Word. Through it He condescends to speak to us. Shall we, puny creatures of the dust, not hear? What audacity for a human being to willfully refuse to hear what God is saying! What disrespect this conveys to Him!

We do this in various ways. Many people---sad to say, even true Christians---have Bibles which they seldom read. And when they read, they often deliberately choose not to obey what God says in His Word. Furthermore, they often purposely absent themselves from meetings where God's Word is studied and expounded. Do they realize that in these ways they are turning a deaf ear to God's law, and that God is fully aware of this?

May we rather turn to God in repentance and confession! "God, be merciful to me, the sinner" (Luke 18:13), coming from a sincere heart, is a prayer God delights to hear. Then we can pray with liberty and joy, listening to His voice, as He enjoys hearing ours.

Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.