Whose Prayers Does God Hear?

Psalm 17:1-2

Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!

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Talk about getting bold in the face of God! David had a pattern of boldness in prayer that is hard to find today. And, it's not just his tone that is bold, but also what motivates his prayer and his expectation for being heard - namely, his own righteousness!

Isn't this the same David who just described the universal depravity of mankind in Psalms 5 & 15, not to mention many other verses? Isn't this the same David who committed adultery and then murdered an innocent man to cover it up? How can he approach a holy God with this kind of boldness and apparent pride? He may have once been called "a man after God's own heart," but surely there is something amiss in the way he is praying in this passage, right?

Well, as you might have guessed, I'm going to argue that David is completely justified in praying this way. Why? Because he understood that his righteousness did not ultimately come from himself, but was a gift of God through faith. I can say this confidently because of how the New Testament describes David's faith. Romans 4 quotes David's words in Psalm 32 as part of Paul's explanation of the "righteousness that comes by faith." And, David is listed in Hebrews 11:32 as one of the many Old Testament saints who lived by faith in God, looking to Him for the promised Savior who would make them right with Him. While not explicit, this kind of dependent faith really is fleshed out in the words of Psalm 17. David is crying out for salvation to the only hope he has: the strong and loving God whom he calls "Savior" (verse 7).

Now, I have admitted that this psalm does not make that point very explicitly on its own; it really does sound at times like David is claiming to supply his own righteousness. But, the reason David seems to claim this righteousness as his own is that, in one sense, it really is! When we look to God and completely bank on the work of Christ to make us right with him, then he really makes us right, both in our position and in our practice. He sees us as righteous through the blood of Christ; and he sees us as righteous because our actual thoughts, desires, and behavior are becoming more and more righteous, albeit by the power and grace of His Spirit.

All of this assumes that you understand one simple fact: God only hears and answers the prayers of the righteous. You then have to ask yourself: Am I righteous? Am I right with God? On what basis can I claim such holiness? Well, you can try to manage perfection on your own. Or, you can bank on the sacrificial death of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus.

For further reflection on what the Bible says about prayer, consider linking here: The Locks and Keys of Effective Prayer. While I would urge you not to think about your conversation with the personal God as the same thing as locking or unlocking an impersonal padlock, I can vouch for the Scripture references used and think they are a good summary of how to think about our communication with God. You can start here, but there's much more to discover about the blessings and benefits of prayer.