God Has Listened – Psalm 66:16-20

If by “answered prayer” we mean a “Yes” from God, a granting of our request, then not all prayers are answered.  There are conditions or requirements established by God that govern whether He will answer our prayers or not.  These conditions may be divided into two categories:  moral conditions (James 4:2,3) and divine purpose conditions (1 John 5:14).  The psalmist here focuses on the moral conditions for answered prayer.

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.  I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.  But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!  (Psalm 66:16-20 ESV)

The testimony of one whose prayer God answered begins with what God did for his soul.  He was in desperate need of God and so he cried to God with his mouth.  But he also came with praise for who God is and what He had done.  His purpose in making this request was not evil.  He did not cherish iniquity in his heart or God would not have answered the prayer.  But God listened and responded and continued His steadfast love for this worshiper.

Do your prayers meet the moral condition for answered prayer?  Do you thirst for righteousness and ask for right things?