The reasons for unanswered prayers include sin, iniquity, and transgression; lying lips; a perverse tongue; unjust dealings; bloody hands; an evil heart and thoughts; and oppression (Isaiah 59:1-8).
Sin, iniquity, and transgression as reasons for unanswered prayers, Isaiah 59:2 meaning
According to Isaiah 59:2, iniquity separates us from God. When this separation happens, our prayers cannot get to Him. In addition, the same scripture indicates that our sins have hidden God’s face from us. Thus when we pray, it is all in vain because the prayers cannot reach Him. In Isaiah 59:12, scripture says that because of our many transgressions, God cannot answer our prayers.
This is why in Psalm 66:18 David says if he regards iniquity in his heart, the LORD God will not hear nor answer his prayers.
God treats iniquity very seriously, and for this reason, He visits the iniquity of fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Him (Exodus 20:5).
In Psalm 5:5 the Bible teaches that God hates all the workers of iniquity. So that means He cannot hear nor answer them when they pray to Him.
However, He keeps mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Exodus 34:7). So if we confess our iniquity, transgression, and sin, He will forgive us, hear our prayers, and answer us when we call upon Him.
In Psalm 32:5 we learn that after David had confessed his sin and acknowledged his iniquity and transgression, God graciously forgave him. So let us learn from him and conduct our lives in a similar manner.
Job 22:23-27 teaches us that if we return to the Almighty God by removing iniquity from our lives, He will hear our prayers and answer us.
Lying lips and a perverse tongue as reasons for unanswered prayers, Isaiah 59:3, 4 meaning
In Isaiah 59:3,4, God clearly states that He cannot hear prayers made by lying lips or a lying tongue. Actually, two of the seven things that God hates as identified in Proverbs 6:16-19 include a lying tongue and a false witness that speaks lies.
God tells us that whoever works deceit shall not dwell in His house, and he who tells lies cannot continue in His presence (Psalm 101:7). If this be the case, do you think God can answer the prayers of such a person?
God complains to the prophet Jeremiah about the way Israel has perfected lies by saying
“And like their bow, they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me,’ says the LORD. ‘Everyone take heed to his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanderers. Everyone will deceive his neighbor and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies and weary themselves to commit iniquity.” (Jeremiah 9:3-5)
In Micah 6:12, God again complains to the prophet called Micah about Israel because people have perfected lies, and their tongues have become deceitful instruments in their mouths.
In Exodus 20:16, God cautions His people not to bear false witness against their neighbors. He also warned them against circulating a false report about anyone (Exodus 23:1).
Proverbs 19:5 and 9 teach us that a false witness will not escape punishment. In addition, Proverbs 19:9 and Proverbs 21:28 declare that such a person will perish or be utterly destroyed.
All these examples are meant to show you how the issue of lying is of grave concern to God. And those who practice lying He greatly distastes. In fact, liars are among the people who will be shut out of the kingdom of God in the age to come (Revelation 21:7 and 22:15).
So for our prayers to be answered, we need to make the same prayer that David made in Psalm 120:2, where he said, ‘Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.’
Unjust dealings as a reason for unanswered prayers, Isaiah 59:4 meaning
In Isaiah 59:4, God complains to his people that no one calls for justice and pleads for truth.
The Bible teaches that God is just, given that His throne is founded upon justice and righteousness (Psalm 97:2). In Job 8:3, we learn that God does not subvert judgment, nor does He pervert justice.
It is for these reasons that He requires us to defend those who are poor and the fatherless and to do justice to those who are afflicted and needy (Psalm 82:3). Only by so doing can He listen to and answer our prayers.
Through the prophet Jeremiah, God strongly spoke against individuals who built their houses by unrighteousness and their chambers with injustice. He also denounced those who exploited their employees by refusing to pay them their wages (Jeremiah 22:13).
God lodges similar complaints against Israel in Amos 5:12. The scripture says
“For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins. You afflict the just and take bribes; you divert the poor from justice at the gate.”
So God calls them to repentance so that He may be gracious to them.
In the same vein, God advises business people to use just weights and just balances. When they do so, God declares that their days on earth will be lengthened! (Deuteronomy 25:15). Proverbs 11:1 teaches us that a false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight. So if you are a business person keen on getting answers for your prayers, you better observe this principle as established by God Himself.
Bloody hands as a reason for unanswered prayers, Isaiah 59:3,6 meaning
In Isaiah 59:3,6, God tells the children of Israel that He cannot answer their prayers because of two things: first is that their hands are defiled with blood, and second is that the act of violence is in their hands.
One of the seven things that God hates according to Proverbs 6:16-19 is hands that shed innocent blood. This means that no one who sheds innocent blood can approach God in prayer and get answers.
According to Genesis 8:6, God warns us against shedding the blood of a fellow human being. And the reason is because man is created in the image of God. Because of this, He tells us that whoever sheds the blood of a fellow human being should also be punished in the same way. In short, if you murder someone, you should be put to death.
Whenever innocent blood is shed, it always cries out to God from the ground for revenge. This is what happened when Cain murdered his brother Abel. God informed Cain that the voice of his brother’s blood was crying to Him from the ground (Genesis 4:8-11).
It is for this reason that God instructed the children of Israel never to shed innocent blood. However, if that were to happen, the person responsible was to be put to death so as to put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel (Deuteronomy 19:11-13).
On the other hand, if someone were to be found dead and the person responsible for the death remains unknown, God instructed that the priests offer a heifer as a sacrifice so as to provide atonement for the innocent blood. This was to be done in order to put away the guilt of the innocent blood from the people (Deuteronomy 21:1-9).
In 2 Kings 24:1-4, God sent the Chaldeans, the Syrians, the Moabites, and the people of Ammon to destroy Judah because of the sins of its king called Manasseh. One of the major sins this king committed was that he killed so many innocent people and ‘filled Jerusalem with innocent blood that God could not pardon.’
Proverbs 1:15-16 warns God’s people not to walk in the way of those that run to evil and make haste to shed innocent blood.
In Jeremiah 7:5-7, God promises to bless His people as long as they do well by executing justice to whom it is due and by taking care of the fatherless, the orphan, and the stranger and not shedding innocent blood.
In Ezekiel 22:9, God complains to the prophet about the people shedding innocent blood. For this reason, among others, He swears to scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.
All these examples lead us to the conclusion that God cannot answer prayers made by people guilty of shedding innocent blood.
An evil heart and thoughts as reasons for unanswered prayers, Isaiah 59:4 meaning
In Isaiah 59:4, God complains to the prophet that the people of Israel have developed hearts that are inclined to do evil.
During the days of Noah, the Bible tells us that when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God came and took wives for themselves. As a result, children were born out of this union, leading to great corruption upon the face of the earth. It was during this time that the LORD saw that the wickedness of man had become so great to the extent that ‘every intent of the thoughts of his heart was evil continually.’ Consequently, God felt sorry that He had created man and swore that He was going to destroy man and everything else on the face of the earth. However, Noah was found righteous in the eyes of God, and thus He decided to spare his life and that of his family members (Genesis 6:1-8).
One of seven things that God hates as identified in Proverbs 6:18 is a heart that devises wicked plans.
The scriptures teach us that people who have a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD. This means that no matter how much they pray, God cannot answer them (Proverbs 11:20).
In Jeremiah 17:9-10, the Bible teaches that the heart of men is deceitful above all things and also desperately wicked. So God searches the hearts of men and tests their minds in order to give each one according to his ways. So, there is nothing in our hearts that God cannot see. If it is good, He will see it; if it is not, He will also see it and reward us accordingly.
Also, God is against a covetous heart and will therefore not answer the prayers of someone inclined to covetousness (Jeremiah 22:17).
Also, God hates a heart that is lifted or puffed up. This is a heart that is proud. It is for this reason that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, got deposed by God from the throne to the wilderness (Daniel 5:20).
Feet that run to evil as a reason for unanswered prayers, Isaiah 59:7 meaning
According to Isaiah 59:7, God does not answer the prayers of people whose feet are swift to run to evil. When you are a person inclined to doing evil, then you are setting yourself on a collision path with God. This is because God is good, and thus evil cannot dwell with Him.
In Psalm 34:16, the Bible teaches that the face of God is against everyone that does evil. For this reason, He punishes such individuals by cutting them off from the face of the earth.
Proverbs 8:13 defines the fear of the LORD as the hatred for every evil thing. It means to hate pride, arrogance, a perverse mouth, and the evil way.
Oppression as a reason for unanswered prayers, Isaiah 59:13 meaning
In Isaiah 59:13, God speaks against oppression that was taking place among His people in Israel.
In Exodus 22:21, God instructed the children never to oppress the strangers living among them. This is because Israel itself was ‘a stranger’ in the land of Egypt.
Similar instructions are echoed in Deuteronomy 24:14 as follows:
“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates.”
Proverbs 22:22 cautions us against plundering the poor and oppressing the afflicted at the gate. This is because God is their defender, and He will always plead their cause.
In Zechariah 7:10, God warned the children of Israel against oppressing one another by saying:
“Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.”
In Micah 3:5, God warned the children of Israel against exploiting those they had hired for work.
So, in order to get our prayers answered, we must shun oppression. May the LORD help you.
I hope this is helpful. Shalom.
‘Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and has made us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.’ (Revelation 1:4-6)
Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/
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Prayer to get born again
Are you willing to become a born-again Christian? Make the following prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness.
I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.
I believe that you were sent by your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.
I believe that you died and were resurrected in order for me to receive eternal life.
I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.
Come into my heart and baptize me with the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for saving me.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
Amen!”
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My name is Nicodemus. I'm a Kenyan by birth. I got saved over 30 years ago while in high school.
I love studying scriptures in order to enhance my comprehension of God and His plan for mankind.
I have an MBA degree in strategic management and a BSc degree in botany and zoology.
I’m married to a loving lady called Leah. God has gifted us three sons: Wayne, Salem, and Michael.
(cellphone no.: +254 723 753820 or email: nolilo76@gmail.com)
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