05 MAY

SECRETS OF ANSWERED PRAYERS (4)
(GENUINE REPENTANCE)

“If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,

    the Lord would not have listened.”

(Psalm 66:18)

“Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,

    nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.

 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.

    Because of your sins, he has turned away

    and will not listen anymore.”

(Isaiah 59:1-2)

Confession of sins and genuine repentance  are pre-requisites to answered prayers. Please, let us note that we should not unduly exclude and justify ourselves when we pray a prayer of repentance especially for groups. After Nehemiah came to God in faith, based his prayer on God’s character, he said: “and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances” (Nehemiah 1: 6-7).

It was not Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He was not even born when it happened and he was most likely born in captivity. Yet, he included himself in the national sins. He did not exclude himself as part of the problem. Daniel did the same. The Lord listened to them and answered them, such that their nation at those different times received deliverance.

ACTION: Genuine repent of all personal sins before embarking on prayer for yourself and for others.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to practise genuine all-encompassing repentance to activate the answers to the burden of prayer I receive, especially for others and for my nation.