The Privilege of Prayer (Part 1)

Praying Through the Bible #75 

TEXT: Proverbs 15:29: "The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous." 

While kayaking in southern England, Mark Ashton-Smith, a 33-year-old lecturer at Cambridge University, capsized in treacherous waters. Clinging to his craft, he reached for his cell phone. Mark's first inclination was to call his father. It didn't matter that his father was at work training British troops in Dubai 3,500 miles away. Mark called his father up. Without delay, the father relayed his son's distress call to the Coast Guard installation nearest to his son's location. The Coast Guard happened to be less than a mile away. Within twelve minutes of his capsizing, a helicopter rescued Mark Ashton-Smith. 

Christians enjoy the privilege of having a similar relationship with our Heavenly Father -- or at least we ought to. When we cross paths with trouble, our first inclination should be to call on God. As the Bible says, he is "a very present help in trouble." What a privilege it is to be able to call on the God of the Universe just as we would call on a personal friend for assistance. What a wonderful blessing it is to know that God is near and ready to help us. 

The verse that we are looking at today, however, informs us that there are some people who do not have this privilege. Yes, there are some people whom God is truly distant from. Let's focus on these people as we begin to look at Proverbs 15:29.