Psalm 66:16-20

16Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
18If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
-Psalm 66:16-20

There is a very unpopular teaching found within this passage. There are prayers that are not heard. Many places in Scripture we see places where God says He will not hear prayers from a certain people, or under certain circumstances. One of those is for the one who is in sin. Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus is the only way to the Father. If one is in sin, he is not in Jesus. Rather, if one is in Jesus, he is free from sin and cleansed from all unrighteousness. Peter shares in 1 Peter that the man that does not dwell with his wife with understanding has his prayers hindered or cut off. Such teachings certainly invoke the fear of the Lord in my life.

To an extent, in our modern day we have lost a particular reverence for God and the way that He has established His name and ways. Like David, we must cling to the mercy of God that our prayer life may be effective and fruitful. We must adhere closely to Jesus, in whose name we come. Let us, in quiet meditation, recognize the importance of the grace of Jesus and offer praise that our prayers may not be cut off. Praise the Lord!