The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The World And Times Of Jesse James

Why Doesn't God Answer All Prayers

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2015-12-10

Synopsis: John Weaver examines why God does not answer most prayers, using the account of Josiah in 2 Kings 22. He argues that prayer is a duty and privilege, not a means to change God's will or satisfy lusts. Prerequisites for answered prayer include proper association (being a child of God), approach (through Christ alone), attitude (faith), asking (in Christ's name, not for selfish desires), apprehension (according to God's will as revealed in Scripture), and affection (love for God). The central reason most prayers go unanswered is the principle of lex talionis: because people refuse to hear and obey God's Word, God righteously refuses to hear their prayers. Josiah heard God (obeyed) and was heard; those who turn away from God's law find their prayers an abomination.

[John Weaver] All right, let's open our Bibles tonight, please, to the book of Second Kings, Chapter 22. Second Kings, Chapter 22. I want to read the first 20 verses. Second Kings, Chapter 22. Title of the message tonight is Why God Does Not Answer Most Prayers. I want you to see this from the scripture, so notice if you would. Second Kings 22, beginning with verse one. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adiah, Vasca. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned on his side to the right hand, or to the left. It came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshallah, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum up the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people. And let them deliver it unto the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the doers of the work, which is in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house, unto carpenters, builders, and masons, and to buy timber and human stone to repair the house.

[John Weaver] Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered in their hand, because they dealt faithfully and he'll kind of high priest said in a shape and described. I found the book of the law in the house of the Lord and he'll give the book to shape and he read it and shape and the scribe came to the king and brought the king word again and said, my servants have gathered the money that was found in the house and have delivered it in the hand of them that do the work and that have oversight of the house of the Lord and shape and the scribe showed the king saying he'll tie the priest had delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king, and it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahicham the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king, saying, Go ye and inquire of the Lord for me, and for this people, and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that

[John Weaver] is found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened in the words of this book to do according to all that which is written concerning us. So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahicham, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Esahiah went into hold of the prophetess, the wife of Shalom, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe.

[John Weaver] Now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college, and they communed with her. And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read, because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say unto Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, as touching the words which thou hast heard, because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and as rent thy clothes, and wept before me, also have heard thee, saith the Lord.

[John Weaver] Behold, therefore, I will gather thee into thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the key word again. I don't know if you've ever considered why God does not answer most prayers, but I suppose if I could answer that question specifically in every instance, I could become a very wealthy man because most people would pay good money to have their prayers answered. And those that were not answered, they'd pay good money to find out why they were not answered so they could correct them in order to have them answered.

[John Weaver] Well, You have to understand, first of all, that praying, of course, is a duty as well as a privilege. The Bible tells us in First Thessalonians five and verse 17 that we're to pray without ceasing. And then our Lord said in Luke chapter 18 and verse one, that men ought always to pray and not to think since prayer is a command, it is also a duty. But since prayer is our heavenly father, it is also a privilege. It is an opportunity, therefore, to commune with our heavenly father Through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, let me tell you something about prayer. First of all, prayer is not an attempt to change the mind or the will of God. You try to change the immutable God and you've got problems, so prayer is not an attempt to change the mind of God.

[John Weaver] Moreover, prayer is not simply an instrument or means to simply get what you want. Prayer is to be an instrument to accomplish the will of God. God has not only ordained the end. He's also ordained the means to the end as well. And the truth of the matter is this. We must actually pray. Whether our prayers are answered or not. For the very simple reason that God has commanded us to pray, so prayer, first and foremost, is to be done in obedience to the command of our Heavenly Father. Now, our prayer life is not to be judged. by how many prayers we have answered, but by how well and how faithfully we pray. Because prayer done in obedience and faith is always acceptable unto the Lord. Now, before I delineate specifically from the Bible why most prayers are not answered, let me just very quickly give you some prerequisites concerning prayer. I want you to think about this.

[John Weaver] Most of you probably know one or two of these. Maybe you know all of them, but let me just lay them out for you for prayer to be successful, for to have your prayers answered. There must be a proper association. What do I mean by proper association? Well, I simply mean this. Our Lord said in Matthew chapter or Luke chapter 11, when you pray, say our father who art in heaven. By proper association, I mean there is a relationship between you and the Heavenly Father.

[John Weaver] That is, we are indeed the children of God by faith. Now, I understand that God blesses the just and the unjust alike. That's what he said in Matthew chapter 5. But the truth of the matter is there is a covenantal relation that exists between the father and his children. There will always be a far more gracious bond between the father and his children than between the father and the children of strangers.

[John Weaver] In fact, our Lord Himself used this illustration. If you would hold 2 Kings, but look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. Look what he says just to show you what I'm talking about. Look at Matthew chapter 7. And let's begin reading there with verse 9, Matthew 7, verse 9. Our Lord says, or what man is there of you whom, if his son shall ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asked a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? So if a father Has his son asked for a piece of bread? He's not going to pick up a stone. Or if he asked for a piece of meat, he's not going to hand him a serpent. In other words, we're going to do good to our children because they're our children. And our Lord said, if you then being evil know how to get good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly father do that as well?

[John Weaver] So there must be a proper association. In 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 16, the Bible says, Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God, even our Father, who have loved us and have given us an everlasting consolation and good hope through grace. So there is a proper association that we must have. Secondly, there must be a proper approach. The Bible says in John 14 in verse 6, our Lord was speaking. He says, no man cometh in the Father except by me.

[John Weaver] I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh in the Father but by me. When you get to Ephesians 2 in verse 18, the Bible says through Him, that is through Jesus Christ, we have access to the Father in one spirit. You have to understand this, that there is no way that anyone can just simply get to God the Father except through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way. Just stop and think about the Old Testament.

[John Weaver] If any Israelite even tried to rush into the Holy of Holies on his own, what would have happened to him? He'd have died. He'd have been killed instantly. Only the high priest went in there, and then once a year, and then not without the shedding of blood. So the Bible is teaching you cannot just simply approach God any way that you want to approach God. There is a proper way to approach Him. That's why the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 5, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Now, if you would hold 2 Kings and look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Hebrews chapter 10, let me show you what the Scripture says now concerning the proper approach and what we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice, if you would, Hebrews chapter 10, beginning there with verse 19. Hebrews 10, verse 19. Remember now, contrast what the children of Israel could not do in the tabernacle and the temple, and now what we may do through the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] So, Hebrews 10, verse 19, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he had consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." So he tells us that we may come boldly to our Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. But that is the only way that we may boldly come to Jesus Christ. Anytime you come to God and you're trying to depend upon your works or your merits or your good deeds or your ancestors or the angels or the saints or anyone or anything else, you've already messed up. The only acceptable approach to God the Father is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] So in order to have Your prayer answered, there must be a proper association. There must be a proper approach. And thirdly, there must be a proper attitude. I quoted this verse last night. Hebrews 11 in verse six, the Bible says, but without faith, it is impossible to please him and he that cometh to God must first believe that he is. And secondly, that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Now, why in the world would you come to God if, number one, you did not believe in Him, and number two, you did not believe that He would hear or answer your prayer?

[John Weaver] May I give you the opposite? Think about this in James 1, verses 5-7. Our Lord said there, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth it to all men liberally, and upbringeth not, it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord."

[John Weaver] So there has to be a proper attitude. You have to come to God believing. That's why in Matthew 21 and verse 22, our Lord said, and all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing you shall receive. That's why in Mark 11, verse 24, he said, therefore, I say to you what things you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them. So there has to be a proper association. There has to be a proper approach. There has to be a proper attitude and there has to be, fourthly, a proper asking. Do you realize, our Lord said in John 14, verses 13 and 14, and whatsoever you shall ask in my name, That will I do that the father may be glorified in the son. If you ask anything in my name, I'll do it. And John 16 in verse 26, he said at that last day, you shall ask in my name. There has to be a proper asking.

[John Weaver] Now, everyone in this room. That is, a parent understands what I'm going to tell you. If your child comes to you with a bad attitude, and demanding and belligerent and rebellious. Are you going to give him anything that he asked for? What's the answer? No. Years ago, our two oldest grandchildren, who will be now 28 this coming May, they were about two years old. And Alice and I took them down to Walmart because they wanted some cow boots, cowboy boots. They just called them cow boots.

[John Weaver] And to be absolutely honest, I had 20 bucks to my name. That's all I had. And we had to buy groceries. And so what we were going to do, we were going to just take them down and let them try the shoes on, the boots on, and we were going to, you know, come back and buy them later when we had the money. Well, they weren't that much, but I mean, we had to buy groceries as well. So I remember we tried those little boots on, Casey and Renee, and they put them on the floor.

[John Weaver] They started walking around on them. Then we took them off when we saw that they fit. We put them back in the box. We knew the size. We put them back up. I picked up my grandson, and she picked up her granddaughter. And as we started to walk off, my grandson looked at those cowboy boots, and he said, bye-bye, cowboots. And I looked at my wife and said, get them. We'll go hungry.

[John Weaver] Now, if he had pitched a fit and thrown himself on the floor and started screaming, the only thing he'd have gotten would have been a whipping. But you see, there has to be a proper asking. Now, what in the world do I mean by proper asking? You do not think, or at least you should not think, that your prayers are going to be heard just simply because they're loud and vociferous and because you repeat them. The Bible says in Matthew 6 and verse 7, but when you pray, our Lord says, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. It is not the repetition nor the vigor of our prayers that have merit. The merit is only found in Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's all. We have to learn to ask in the name of Christ, have you ever wondered? What it means to ask. In the name of Christ, have you ever really thought about that?

[John Weaver] Suppose I went to Tennessee to a bank. And I wrote a countercheck to myself for a million bucks. And I signed it and I took it up to the teller. And I said, I'd like you to cash this check, please. She looked at it said, Wow, that's a pretty good amount. She said, Mr. Weaver, do you have an account in this bank? No, ma'am, I don't. You mean you have no account here? No. You have any money in this bank? No. You don't expect me to cash this check, do you? Well, ma'am, I really need the money. I'd really like you to cash it. She said, I can't cash the check. Now, here's the thing. Here I am at this bank asking for money in my name.

[John Weaver] And I have absolutely nothing. So I go to the same bank the next day, and here's a check made out to me, signed by Jimmy Barber. And I hand it to the teller, and I said, I'd like you to cash this check for me. Oh, Jimmy Barber. Is that all that old skin flint's giving you? How do you want it, sir? And she just yells it out.

[John Weaver] Now you see what I'm saying. I'm making that up, but you understand. On the one hand, I was asking in my name when I had absolutely nothing. Now I'm asking in the name of a rich man who has a multitude of things. So where she would not cash the check in the first instance, she would cash the check in the second instance. So here's what it literally means to ask in the name of Christ. When we come to our Heavenly Father and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, here's what we're confessing. We are nothing. We have nothing. We can do nothing. We merit nothing. And Father, the only reason I'm expecting you to even hear and answer my prayer is because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. That's the only reason. So that means there is a proper asking.

[John Weaver] And by the way, I want you to turn very quickly to the book of James chapter four. Let me just show you there is indeed. There is indeed an improper asking, even if you ask in the name of Christ, you say, what are you talking about? An improper asking, even if you ask in the name of Christ. We'll look at James chapter four, beginning there with verse one. Look what James says, James four, verse one. For whence come wars and fighting among you, come they not hence even your lusts that warn your members? Now, look what he says in verse two, you lust and have not.

[John Weaver] You kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. You fight in war, yet you have not because you ask not. And then he says in verse three, you ask and receive not. Because you ask a miss. Did you may consume it upon your own lust? God's not going to give you something just to consume upon your own lust. I never will forget years ago I was talking to a man who was a professing Christian. And he said, preacher, I need to ask you a question.

[John Weaver] I said, well, go ahead. He said, when I got saved, he said, I smoked. And I drank. He said, I asked the Lord to take away my drinking, he did. I asked him to take away my smoking, he did. He said, just like that. I thought, that's good, that's wonderful. Well, what's the question? Well, he said, he's answered my prayer in so many instances, he said, I'm having problems with a prayer request now that I can't get answered. I said, well, what is it? Well, He says, I've met this woman and I want to marry her. But he said. She won't marry me right now.

[John Weaver] And I looked at him and I kind of grinned. I said, well, maybe she doesn't love you. He said, she says she does. Well, I said, now, wait a minute. And of course, both of them were in age. I said, now, if you say you love her and she says she loves you, why can't you get married? He said, because her husband won't give her a divorce.

[John Weaver] When I picked my jaw up from the floor, I said, let me explain something to you. God is not going to help you to violate his law. Do you understand that? You ask and receive not." He said, why? Because you ask amiss that you might consume it upon your own lusts. So there has to be a proper asking. There must also be a proper apprehension. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to 1 John, chapter 5. 1 John, chapter 5. We are coming back to 2 Kings. Hang on. 1 John, chapter 5. Notice if you would, verses 14 and 15. Here are two wonderful verses. In fact, let's begin reading there with verse 12. Watch this. You talk about a proper apprehension. Here it is. 1 John 5, verse 12. The Bible says, He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. Now watch verse 14.

[John Weaver] And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

[John Weaver] Now go back to verse 13. He says, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. Skip down to verse 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Note, if you would, God says, whatever you ask according to my will, I will hear you. And then in the next verse, he says, if we know that he hear us, we know that we will receive those things. So here's my question. How do we know, then, that we're praying in the will of God? And the answer is when we pray according to the scriptures.

[John Weaver] God's word and God's will is revealed in the Bible. Here is absolute assurance in prayer. But now, wait a minute. You said, brother, we were there are times. That I might not know specifically what God's will is for an individual. Well, that's why our Lord taught us to pray in Luke chapter 11, our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Notice he would. He said, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

[John Weaver] In all my ministry, I prayed for a lot of sick people. I prayed for people on their deathbeds, and they've gotten well. I prayed for other people, and they died. Let me tell you something. It is God's will to heal most of the time. Because all of us have been sick and have gotten well, but it's not his will to heal all of the time, because if he did, no one would ever die.

[John Weaver] And the wages of sin is death. We're going to die. So in an instance, if I'm praying for someone and I don't know what God's will for that individual is, I just simply ask thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And if you will turn in your Bible very quickly to the book of Romans, chapter eight, Notice, if you would please. Here's a tremendous ministry of the Holy Spirit to us and in us as well. Romans chapter eight. Notice, if you would please, verses twenty six and twenty seven. Romans eight, verse twenty six. Watch carefully. Romans eight, verse twenty six. The Bible says, likewise, the spirit also will help with our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.

[John Weaver] But the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he, that is the Holy Spirit, maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

[John Weaver] Now go back and look at verse 26. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Let me ask you a question. And I can assure you, I know the answer for these preachers. But has there ever been a time in your life that you have been so burdened and so broken over an incident, sometimes as family? Sometimes it's finances, sometimes it's friends, I don't care what it is, but you've been so broken and you've been so hurt.

[John Weaver] that all you can do is literally fall on your face before God and just say, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God. You don't even know how to pray. You don't know where to begin. All you can do is just groan. Well, the scripture says the Holy Spirit then makes intercession for us because He knows the will of God. So many times then when we do not know what to do, we need to ask God to pray in us and pray through us and pray for us because we want his will.

[John Weaver] And then six very quickly, there must be a proper affection. The Bible says in Colossians three verses one and two, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things were above where Christ sitted on the right hand of God, set your affection on things above and not on things below. When we pray, if we say we want God's will and we want God to be honored and glorified, how in the world could we say that if we do not really love him and love his will and love his truth and really want to see him honored and glorified? Remember what our Lord taught his disciples to pray? The very first thing he said, you pray and you say, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Honored. glorified, sanctified be thy name." So, if we want our prayers answered, we must have a proper affection as well.

[John Weaver] Now, obviously, if we lack a proper association, a proper approach, a proper attitude, a proper asking, a proper apprehension, and a proper affection, it is going to seriously damage our prayer life. And my basic assumption is this, everyone in this room already knows these things. You already know, this is fundamental, it's elementary. What I want to do is this, I want to show you, even in light of our knowledge of these truths, why our prayers are not answered most of the time.

[John Weaver] Go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 22. 2 Kings chapter 22. Here we have the story of Josiah. Josiah was a young man who was brought up in the ways of the Lord. He was eight years old when he began to reign and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. And, of course, according to the scripture, he was obedient to that which he knew. Now, look, if you would please, in verse two, and he, that is, Josiah, Did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the way of David, his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left?

[John Weaver] I don't know about you, but that's a very great commendation. So as much as he knew, he lived an obedient life. At this point. He walked in the way of David, his father, however, there was one problem. The problem was that the law of God had been lost. In fact, I preached an entire message just on this one truth, the lost law. I'm not going to re-preach that message. But unhappily, the law was lost in the house of the Lord. Unhappily, that's where it's lost today. As our Lord was wounded in the house of his friends, so likewise, God's own law has been denied and denounced and denigrated in the house of his people. So here the law was lost in the temple, so while they were cleaning out the temple. Copy of the law was found.

[John Weaver] And he'll kind delivered it to shape and shape and read it. Then he went to the king and he read it to the king. I want you to watch what happens. Skip down if you would please. Verse eight and he'll kind of a high priest said in the shape and describe. I found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And he'll kind of gave the book to shape and he read it and shape and the scribe came to the king and brought the king word again and said, my servants have gathered the money that was found in the house and have delivered it in the hand of them that do the work that have the oversight of the house of the Lord and shape and the scribe showed the king saying he'll tie the priest had delivered me a book and shape and read it. before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.

[John Weaver] And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahicham the son of Shaphan, and Ockbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king, saying, Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that is found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened Under the words of this book to do according to all that which is written concerning us. Notice if you would.

[John Weaver] When he hears the law of God read, he rends his clothes. He tears off those royal garments. And he says, look, you better go inquire of the Lord for us. We are in deep, deep problems.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will look at verse 13, Where did the king send these men? Gogi inquired the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah. Now, an interesting thing happens in verse 14. After he sends them to inquire of the Lord, verse 14 tells us, So Helkiah the priest, and Ahicham, and Achbord, and Shaphan, and Asahi went into the halls of the prophetess. The wife of Shalom, the son of Tikva, the son of Haras, keeper of the wardrobe.

[John Weaver] Now, she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college and they communed with her. So here's my question. Why did the priest and these men go to a prophetess? The king never sent them unto her. He said, Go ye inquire of the Lord for me. So you have to ask yourself this question, why would the priest then go to a woman?

[John Weaver] Now, there could be several answers given. You could say, well, first of all, the king was very earnest. And very urgent in this request, and this woman was already there in Jerusalem, and moreover, she was well known in the royal court. Her husband was a member of the royal court. She was close by. And so they just went to her. Well, you could say that, and she obviously was close by, and her husband was indeed a member of the royal court. Well, let me ask you another question.

[John Weaver] Did you know that Jeremiah and also Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah? So why were they not consulted? You remember that Jeremiah lived in Anathoth. Anathoth was not far from Jerusalem. Why did they not send the Anapha to Jeremiah the prophet?

[John Weaver] Now, I understand he may have been in some other part of the kingdom doing the Lord's work. That's very possible. But obviously, Jeremiah knew Josiah very well. If you will look in your Bibles to 2nd Chronicles chapter 35, 2nd Chronicles 35 and verse 25, you will find out that Jeremiah made a lamentation over Josiah when he died. Notice in 2 Chronicles 35 and verse 25. So obviously, there was an association here between Josiah and Jeremiah, and Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah and their lamentation of this day and made them an ordinance in Israel.

[John Weaver] And behold, they're written in the lamentations. So Jeremiah lamented for him. Obviously, he was there. He knew him, but they never inquired of Jeremiah. It could have been that Zephaniah may not have been actually prophesying at this particular time, he may have started a little bit later. But why in the world did they go to Huldah the prophetess?

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you what I believe. I believe. The fact that they went to Huldah the prophetess is a most singular circumstance, and it's very revealing. I believe that it demonstrates the depth of apostasy in which the kingdom had so. I'll explain that. Jeremiah was certainly a prophet, but they did not consult him. Zephaniah was a prophet, but they did not consult him either. Watch if you would, verse 13, he told these men, go inquire of the Lord for me. Who was Hilkiah? Hilkiah was the high priest. Do you know what the Bible says in Malachi 2, verse 7?

[John Weaver] Let me just quote it. Malachi 2, verse 7, For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of God. Why would the high priest go to a woman? He was responsible to know. How about Chafan the scribe? The scribe was the secretary at Sacred Things. He was responsible to know, and yet he was as ignorant and as useless as he could be. You contrast him with Ezra in Ezra chapter 7 and verse 6. This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses and the Lord God, which the Lord God of Israel had given. Notice Ezra was a ready scribe. He knew the law of God. Shaphan knew nothing.

[John Weaver] Moreover, the king, King Josiah himself, was helpless. At this point in time, he was at age 26 and he knew nothing. Do you realize that Deuteronomy 17 requires that the king have his own personal copy of the law and he reads out of it every day? So here. The secret of the Lord was not with Hilkiah the priest. It was not with Shaphan the scribe. It was not with the king.

[John Weaver] It was not with any ministers of the temple. And yet, Hilda, the prophetess, of whom we know absolutely nothing except this circumstance, is consulted on the meaning of the law.

[John Weaver] Now, tradition says that she prophesied among the women of the court, being one of the court ladies herself. So what is the significance of the fact That they went to a woman. Well, here it is. I believe this points out that God never leaves himself without witness. Because he's never going to leave sinners without excuse. But remember what I said earlier, I believe this is a singular and most revealing circumstance.

[John Weaver] Because it reveals the depth of apostasy in which the kingdom had sunk. Listen carefully. When those who should rule, and when those who should know, and when those who should exercise dominion refuse to do so, power will always shift to those who will. Do you realize the only thing needed and necessary to have a matriarchal society is for the men to do nothing? And let me tell you something, men.

[John Weaver] If you will not be the head of your home, I can assure you, your wife will. And if your wife will not be the head of your home, your children will. Somebody will run that home. I was in a store in Douglas, Georgia, and here was a woman with a kid in her shopping cart, and the kid was screaming bloody murder, crying, screaming, pitching a fit. She pushed that shopping cart up to a man, evidently her husband. And I was standing about three feet away, and she said, would you please do something with this kid? He's upset and crying because I would not buy him a toy that he already has one just like it at home.

[John Weaver] I just bit my tongue to keep from saying, give him to me, lady. I can take care of it, I can assure you, I can take care of it. You know who ran that home?

[John Weaver] Now, all I'm simply pointing out is simply this, I know that there are plenty of godly women and I am thankful for every godly woman. But the sad truth is most of them became that way apart from their husbands. It should be the husband leading and directing and saying, this is the way, walk you in it.

[John Weaver] Now, the point of this message is not necessarily to deal with Huldah. The point is to show you. Why God does not answer most prayers. So they come to Huldah and I want you to skip down, I want to just read it to you and I want you to just see if you can pick this out yourself. I never will forget when I first saw this simple truth of how it really affected me.

[John Weaver] But notice in 2 Kings chapter 22, beginning there with verse 18. Here's what God said to King Josiah. But to the king of Judah, which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you send him. Thus said the Lord God of Israel as touching the words which thou hast heard, because thine heart was tender. And thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me. I also have heard thee, said the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now, did you hear what I just read? Well, you say I didn't get it. Well, let's go back to verse 18. Watch the latter part of verse 18. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, as touching the words which thou hast heard. So he heard God's word, watch, because thine heart was humble, a tempter, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord. When thou heardest what I speak against this place and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast ripped thy clothes and wept before me, watch, I have also heard thee, saith the Lord. So here it is. God says to Josiah, because you heard me. I heard you.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something, every negative has a positive and every positive has a negative. The positive is Josiah heard God and God heard him. The negative is if you don't hear God, God's not going to hear you. It's the lex talionis. That is the law of retribution, where God makes the punishment fit the crime. You've read it over and over. It's in Exodus 21, in the book of Deuteronomy as well, where God says an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, stripe for stripe, wound for wound. That's the lex talionis. God makes the punishment fit the crime. So when we refuse to listen to God, God in his righteous justice refuses to hear us now. You know what he said in 1st Samuel 2 and verse 30, listen carefully.

[John Weaver] Them that honor me will I honor saith the Lord. But those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. God said you honor me, I'm going to honor you. But you despise me and you're going to be lightly esteemed.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn in your Bibles Hold 2 Kings 22, but look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Hosea. The book of Hosea, chapter four and verse six, you know this verse, you can quote it or at least part of it. Look at Hosea, chapter four and verse six. I want you to see this in light of what I'm teaching tonight. Look at Hosea, chapter four and verse six. Here it is, Hosea four and verse six.

[John Weaver] God says, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Everybody can quote that. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Now, watch. Because thou has rejected knowledge. I will also reject thee that thou shalt be no priest to me, seeing thou has forgotten the law by God. I will also forget thy children. Whoa, wait a minute. Did you hear what I just read? God not only said my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because I was rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me, seeing thou hast forgotten the law by God, I will also forget thy children. Here is the lex talionis, where God makes the punishment fit the crime.

[John Weaver] You want to know what's wrong with our young people in this land? You want to know what's happening in America? We have forgotten God's law and God in righteousness is forgetting our children. Let me explain that. You know what God's law is? God's law is an expression of his will for you. That's what it is. You know what your children are? They're expressions of your will. You wanted them, you had them. So God says, you forget my will, I forget your will. You forget my law, I forget your children. Wow. You know what David said in Psalm 66 and verse 18, now listen.

[John Weaver] He said, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. He did not say if I do iniquity, if I commit iniquity, he just said, if I regard it, in other words, if I counted something high or something pleasing or something satisfying, if I regard it, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. How much worse is it if we do and commit iniquity? He said if we do that, the Lord will not hear us. Why?

[John Weaver] Because we're violating his will. We're violating his word. Do you know what iniquity is? Iniquity is sin. Now listen carefully. Verse John 3 and verse 4. Whosoever committed sin, Transgresses also the law for sin is the transgression of the law. You cannot sin without violating God's law. Sin is a transgression of God's law. So David said, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain something to you. God said to Josiah, you heard me.

[John Weaver] Now I'm going to hear you. Wow. Hearing God's word does not necessarily mean. That we just read it every day. Or did we come to services faithfully? You say, well, the Weaver, I'm here Sunday morning, I'm here Sunday afternoon, I'm here any time there's a special meeting, I want to hear God's word. You can be here 24 hours a day, seven days a week and never really hear God's word. Doesn't mean it's not being preached. I just want to point out, there are actually two types of hearing. There's an external audible hearing, which everyone that has ears can hear, but there's also a spiritual internal hearing. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to First Samuel, Chapter 15. First Samuel, Chapter 15. You remember how.

[John Weaver] King Saul had been sent on a mission by God to destroy the Amalekites. And the Bible tells us that King Saul spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best of the sheep and the best of the oxen. And so when Samuel starts coming to Saul and Saul sees Samuel, he says, Blessed be thou, the Lord, I performed all the commandments of the Lord. And about that time, something went bad. And Samuel said, Saul, if you've obeyed God, what meaning of the lowering of the cattle and the blading of the sheep in my ear? If you'd obeyed God, everything would be dead. And Saul said the people spared them, spared the best that they might sacrifice them to God. Watch. First Samuel, chapter 15. Verse 21. But the people took of the spoiled sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

[John Weaver] Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fad of rams." For rebellion is the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is his iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

[John Weaver] Now, go back, if you would, to verse 22. Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Look what he says. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. First of all, let me say it like this. God had rather have your obedience than anything else. If you could say to God, Lord, I'll give you obedience for a million bucks, he said, I'll take obedience. I'll give you obedience or a truck full of gold, you'll take obedience. But let me show you something about obedience, watch, look back in verse 22, he says, behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. And then he says this, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams. Do you know what the fat of rams was? The fat of rams was the cheapest part of the sacrifice that was always given to God. So when you read. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken is better than the fat of rams.

[John Weaver] You have to understand that hearkening and obedience are synonymous. They're one in the same. No one ever really hears the Word of God until he heeds the Word of God. No one ever really hears the Word of God until he obeys the Word of God. You can sit and listen externally, and you can learn, and you can quote, and you can memorize, but unless you actually apply it and obey it, you have not heard it. You haven't heard it now, you say, wait a minute, Brother Weaver, I don't know if there's all this. To this that you're making up, really, well, look in your Bibles to Proverbs, Chapter 28, and let's look at verse nine, Proverbs 28 and verse nine. Let's see if there's other verses that say exactly the same thing that I've been saying for the last 45 minutes. Notice if you would, Proverbs, Chapter 28 and verse nine, Proverbs 28, verse nine. Here it is again. Note, if you would, what God says, Proverbs 28, verse nine.

[John Weaver] He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination. You know what an abomination is? It's a stench in God's nostrils. God says you turn away your ear from hearing, obeying my law. Even your prayer will be a stench in my nostrils. What does God say? You don't hear me. I don't hear you. Whoa. Let me show it to you again, look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, chapter seven, right before the book of Malachi, Zechariah, chapter seven. And let's begin reading there with verse seven. Zechariah seven and verse seven.

[John Weaver] I want you to watch this. This is taught throughout the scripture, Zechariah seven, verse seven. Should you not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain? And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion to every man to his brother, and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor, and that none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. Now watch. But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent in his spirit by the former prophets, Therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it came to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear, so they cried, and I would not hear, said the Lord of hosts.

[John Weaver] But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man pass through nor return, for they laid the pleasant land desolate." Did you see what he said in verse 13? Therefore it has come to pass that as he, that is, As God cried, they would not hear. So they cried, said God, and I would not hear.

[John Weaver] That's the lex talionis of Scripture. That is the law of retribution. That is perfect justice. God said to these people, you will not hear me. I won't hear you. I want you to turn to two other passages, I do want you to look in Mark, chapter four. Mark, chapter four. This is a tremendous passage, I've got A brief series on this, but it is just absolutely astounding when you look at this, look in Mark, chapter four, and I want you to begin reading with me in verse twenty three. Mark, chapter four, verse twenty three. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, take heed what you hear. With what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you, and to you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath to him shall be given, and he that hath not from him shall be taken, even that which he hath." Now, go back to verse 24. Take heed what you hear. With what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you.

[John Weaver] Now, wait a minute. You say, Brother Weaver, I'm going to spend 15 minutes a day studying my Bible. Guess what? If you spend 15 minutes a day studying your Bible. You're going to get 15 minutes worth of truth. Whatever you measure, God said, I'm going to measure it right back to you. You're not going to get two hours worth of truth for studying 15 minutes. You're not.

[John Weaver] Now, watch what he said after he said in verse 24. And he said to them, take heed what you hear with what measure you measure shall be measured to you and to you that hear. Shall more be given what? Do you know why most people remain absolute babes in Christ and they never mature? And the answer is very simple, because they do not obey truth. Why should God give you any more truth if you're not going to obey what he's already given you? And then he says in the next verse, basically.

[John Weaver] If you don't use it, you lose it. And that's the simple truth, if you do not use God's truth, if you do not apply it, you forget it, you lose it. I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter one, because here's the thing, I want you to see this principle applies not only to the saints of God, But it also applies to sinners. You know, one of the greatest fallacies that exists in the minds of sinners is that they believe somehow that salvation is in their hands and they can be saved whenever they want to be saved.

[John Weaver] I've had people tell me, well, Brother Weaver, I'm going to get saved about 15 minutes before I die, really? Really? You don't even know when you're going to die. And you may not have 15 minutes, and then the scripture says, Seek ye the Lord while it may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. He may not be able to be found or he may not be near when you start dying and you're in trouble. But let me just show you what the scripture says.

[John Weaver] Notice if you would, Proverbs chapter one, verse twenty two. How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof. Look what God says now. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you all, make known my words unto you. Here's what God says, because I have called and you refused. I've stretched out my hand and no man regarded. You have said it not my counsel and would not have none of my reproof. God says I also will laugh at your calamity.

[John Weaver] I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel.

[John Weaver] They despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." What did God say? They will call unto me, but I will not answer. They will seek me early, but they will not find me. Let me tell you something. You're not ever saved in your time. You're only saved in God's time. And if God doesn't save you, you're not saved no matter how many professions you make. It's just that simple. If you refuse to hear God, God may justly and righteously refuse to hear you. You see, folks, it's not just hearing the preaching of the Word of God that counts. It's obeying it. And applying it.

[John Weaver] And making it practical in every day of your life. And the reason God does not answer most prayers is people refuse to hear him. Even his children. How many of you parents will try to bless a disobedient, belligerent, arrogant, rebellious child. You won't. You'll let him eat the fruit of his own way. You'll let him learn the hard way. And oftentimes, that's what God does to us. If we refuse to hear him, he may justly refuse to hear us.

Why Doesn't God Answer All Prayers

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	121215053160
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The World And Times Of Jesse James
Genre	Sermon
Date	2015-12-10
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 10
Source Timed Segments	89

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Question of Unanswered Prayer

Weaver introduces the topic by noting that many would pay to know why prayers go unanswered, and he sets the stage with the story of Josiah in 2 Kings 22.

All right, let's open our Bibles tonight, please, to the book of 2 Kings, chapter 22. 2 Kings, chapter 22. I want to read the first 20 verses. 2 Kings, chapter 22. Title of the message tonight is "Why God Does Not Answer Most Prayers." I want you to see this from the scripture, so notice if you would. 2 Kings 22, beginning with verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 22:1-20

"Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem."

The Nature and Purpose of Prayer

Prayer is both a duty (commanded in Scripture) and a privilege (communion with the Father). It is not an attempt to change God's mind or merely get what we want, but to accomplish God's will.

Well, you have to understand, first of all, that praying, of course, is a duty as well as a privilege. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we're to pray without ceasing. And then our Lord said in Luke 18:1, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Since prayer is a command, it is also a duty. But since prayer is to our heavenly Father, it is also a privilege. It is an opportunity, therefore, to commune with our heavenly Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me tell you something about prayer. First of all, prayer is not an attempt to change the mind or the will of God. You try to change the immutable God and you've got problems, so prayer is not an attempt to change the mind of God.

Moreover, prayer is not simply an instrument or means to simply get what you want. Prayer is to be an instrument to accomplish the will of God. God has not only ordained the end, He's also ordained the means to the end as well. And the truth of the matter is this: we must actually pray, whether our prayers are answered or not, for the very simple reason that God has commanded us to pray. So prayer, first and foremost, is to be done in obedience to the command of our heavenly Father. Now, our prayer life is not to be judged by how many prayers we have answered, but by how well and how faithfully we pray. Because prayer done in obedience and faith is always acceptable unto the Lord. Now, before I delineate specifically from the Bible why most prayers are not answered, let me just very quickly give you some prerequisites concerning prayer. I want you to think about this.

Prerequisites for Answered Prayer

Six prerequisites are outlined: proper association (being a child of God), proper approach (through Christ alone), proper attitude (faith), proper asking (in Christ's name, not for lusts), proper apprehension (according to God's will in Scripture), and proper affection (love for God).

Most of you probably know one or two of these. Maybe you know all of them, but let me just lay them out for you. For prayer to be successful, for to have your prayers answered, there must be a proper association. What do I mean by proper association? Well, I simply mean this: our Lord said in Luke chapter 11, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven." By proper association, I mean there is a relationship between you and the heavenly Father. That is, we are indeed the children of God by faith. Now, I understand that God blesses the just and the unjust alike. That's what He said in Matthew chapter 5. But the truth of the matter is there is a covenantal relation that exists between the Father and His children. There will always be a far more gracious bond between the Father and His children than between the Father and the children of strangers.

In fact, our Lord Himself used this illustration. If you would hold 2 Kings, but look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. Look what He says just to show you what I'm talking about. Look at Matthew chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 9. Matthew 7:9:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 7:9-11

"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

So if a father has his son ask for a piece of bread, he's not going to pick up a stone. Or if he asked for a piece of meat, he's not going to hand him a serpent. In other words, we're going to do good to our children because they're our children. And our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 7:9-11

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father do that as well?"

So there must be a proper association. In 2 Thessalonians 2:16, the Bible says, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace." So there is a proper association that we must have. Secondly, there must be a proper approach. The Bible says in John 14:6, our Lord was speaking, He says,

Scripture Reading — John 14:6

"No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

When you get to Ephesians 2:18, the Bible says, "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." You have to understand this, that there is no way that anyone can just simply get to God the Father except through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way. Just stop and think about the Old Testament.

If any Israelite even tried to rush into the Holy of Holies on his own, what would have happened to him? He'd have died. He'd have been killed instantly. Only the high priest went in there, and then once a year, and then not without the shedding of blood. So the Bible is teaching you cannot just simply approach God any way that you want to approach God. There is a proper way to approach Him. That's why the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2:5,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 2:5

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Now, if you would hold 2 Kings and look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Hebrews chapter 10, let me show you what the Scripture says now concerning the proper approach and what we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice, if you would, Hebrews chapter 10, beginning there with verse 19. Hebrews 10:19. Remember now, contrast what the children of Israel could not do in the tabernacle and the temple, and now what we may do through the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, Hebrews 10:19:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 10:19-22

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

So He tells us that we may come boldly to our heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. But that is the only way that we may boldly come to Jesus Christ. Anytime you come to God and you're trying to depend upon your works or your merits or your good deeds or your ancestors or the angels or the saints or anyone or anything else, you've already messed up. The only acceptable approach to God the Father is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

So in order to have your prayer answered, there must be a proper association. There must be a proper approach. And thirdly, there must be a proper attitude. I quoted this verse last night. Hebrews 11:6, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:6

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Now, why in the world would you come to God if, number one, you did not believe in Him, and number two, you did not believe that He would hear or answer your prayer? May I give you the opposite? Think about this in James 1:5-7. Our Lord said there, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."

So there has to be a proper attitude. You have to come to God believing. That's why in Matthew 21:22, our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:22

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

That's why in Mark 11:24, He said, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." So there has to be a proper association. There has to be a proper approach. There has to be a proper attitude and there has to be, fourthly, a proper asking. Do you realize, our Lord said in John 14:13-14,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:22

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."

And John 16:26, He said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:22

"At that day ye shall ask in my name."

There has to be a proper asking.

Now, everyone in this room that is a parent understands what I'm going to tell you. If your child comes to you with a bad attitude, and demanding and belligerent and rebellious, are you going to give him anything that he asked for? What's the answer? No. Years ago, our two oldest grandchildren, who will be now 28 this coming May, they were about two years old. And Alice and I took them down to Walmart because they wanted some cow boots, cowboy boots. They just called them cow boots.

And to be absolutely honest, I had 20 bucks to my name. That's all I had. And we had to buy groceries. And so what we were going to do, we were going to just take them down and let them try the shoes on, the boots on, and we were going to, you know, come back and buy them later when we had the money. Well, they weren't that much, but I mean, we had to buy groceries as well. So I remember we tried those little boots on, Casey and Renee, and they put them on the floor. They started walking around on them. Then we took them off when we saw that they fit. We put them back in the box. We knew the size. We put them back up. I picked up my grandson, and she picked up her granddaughter. And as we started to walk off, my grandson looked at those cowboy boots, and he said, "Bye-bye, cowboots." And I looked at my wife and said, "Get them. We'll go hungry."

Now, if he had pitched a fit and thrown himself on the floor and started screaming, the only thing he'd have gotten would have been a whipping. But you see, there has to be a proper asking. Now, what in the world do I mean by proper asking? You do not think, or at least you should not think, that your prayers are going to be heard just simply because they're loud and vociferous and because you repeat them. The Bible says in Matthew 6:7,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:7

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

It is not the repetition nor the vigor of our prayers that have merit. The merit is only found in Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's all. We have to learn to ask in the name of Christ. Have you ever wondered what it means to ask in the name of Christ? Have you ever really thought about that?

Suppose I went to Tennessee to a bank. And I wrote a countercheck to myself for a million bucks. And I signed it and I took it up to the teller. And I said, "I'd like you to cash this check, please." She looked at it, said, "Wow, that's a pretty good amount." She said, "Mr. Weaver, do you have an account in this bank?" "No, ma'am, I don't." "You mean you have no account here?" "No." "You have any money in this bank?" "No." "You don't expect me to cash this check, do you?" "Well, ma'am, I really need the money. I'd really like you to cash it." She said, "I can't cash the check." Now, here's the thing. Here I am at this bank asking for money in my name.

And I have absolutely nothing. So I go to the same bank the next day, and here's a check made out to me, signed by Jimmy Barber. And I hand it to the teller, and I said, "I'd like you to cash this check for me." "Oh, Jimmy Barber. Is that all that old skinflint's giving you? How do you want it, sir?" And she just yells it out.

Now you see what I'm saying. I'm making that up, but you understand. On the one hand, I was asking in my name when I had absolutely nothing. Now I'm asking in the name of a rich man who has a multitude of things. So where she would not cash the check in the first instance, she would cash the check in the second instance. So here's what it literally means to ask in the name of Christ. When we come to our heavenly Father and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, here's what we're confessing: We are nothing. We have nothing. We can do nothing. We merit nothing. And Father, the only reason I'm expecting you to even hear and answer my prayer is because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. That's the only reason. So that means there is a proper asking.

And by the way, I want you to turn very quickly to the book of James chapter 4. Let me just show you there is indeed an improper asking, even if you ask in the name of Christ. You say, "What are you talking about? An improper asking, even if you ask in the name of Christ?" We'll look at James chapter 4, beginning there with verse 1. Look what James says, James 4:1:

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"

Now, look what he says in verse 2:

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"Ye lust, and have not. ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not."

And then he says in verse 3:

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

God's not going to give you something just to consume upon your own lust. I never will forget years ago I was talking to a man who was a professing Christian. And he said, "Preacher, I need to ask you a question."

I said, "Well, go ahead." He said, "When I got saved," he said, "I smoked. And I drank. He said, I asked the Lord to take away my drinking, He did. I asked Him to take away my smoking, He did." He said, "Just like that." I thought, "That's good, that's wonderful." "Well, what's the question?" "Well," he said, "He's answered my prayer in so many instances," he said, "I'm having problems with a prayer request now that I can't get answered." I said, "Well, what is it?" "Well," he says, "I've met this woman and I want to marry her. But he said, she won't marry me right now." And I looked at him and I kind of grinned. I said, "Well, maybe she doesn't love you." He said, "She says she does." "Well," I said, "now, wait a minute." And of course, both of them were in age. I said, "Now, if you say you love her and she says she loves you, why can't you get married?" He said, "Because her husband won't give her a divorce."

When I picked my jaw up from the floor, I said, "Let me explain something to you. God is not going to help you to violate His law. Do you understand that? 'Ye ask, and receive not.'" He said, "Why?" "Because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your own lusts." So there has to be a proper asking. There must also be a proper apprehension. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to 1 John, chapter 5. 1 John, chapter 5. We are coming back to 2 Kings. Hang on. 1 John, chapter 5. Notice if you would, verses 14 and 15. Here are two wonderful verses. In fact, let's begin reading there with verse 12. Watch this. You talk about a proper apprehension. Here it is. 1 John 5:12:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:12-15

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Now watch verse 14.

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." Now go back to verse 13. He says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God." Skip down to verse 14: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us." Note, if you would, God says, "Whatever you ask according to my will, I will hear you." And then in the next verse, He says, "If we know that he hear us, we know that we will receive those things." So here's my question: How do we know, then, that we're praying in the will of God? And the answer is when we pray according to the Scriptures.

God's Word and God's will is revealed in the Bible. Here is absolute assurance in prayer. But now, wait a minute. You said, "Brother Weaver, there are times that I might not know specifically what God's will is for an individual." Well, that's why our Lord taught us to pray in Luke chapter 11, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Notice He would, He said, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." In all my ministry, I prayed for a lot of sick people. I prayed for people on their deathbeds, and they've gotten well. I prayed for other people, and they died. Let me tell you something. It is God's will to heal most of the time, because all of us have been sick and have gotten well, but it's not His will to heal all of the time, because if He did, no one would ever die.

And the wages of sin is death. We're going to die. So in an instance, if I'm praying for someone and I don't know what God's will for that individual is, I just simply ask, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." And if you will turn in your Bible very quickly to the book of Romans, chapter 8, notice, if you would please. Here's a tremendous ministry of the Holy Spirit to us and in us as well. Romans chapter 8. Notice, if you would please, verses 26 and 27. Romans 8:26. Watch carefully. Romans 8:26: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:

but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Now go back and look at verse 26: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Let me ask you a question. And I can assure you, I know the answer for these preachers. But has there ever been a time in your life that you have been so burdened and so broken over an incident, sometimes it's family, sometimes it's finances, sometimes it's friends, I don't care what it is, but you've been so broken and you've been so hurt

that all you can do is literally fall on your face before God and just say, "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God." You don't even know how to pray. You don't know where to begin. All you can do is just groan. Well, the Scripture says the Holy Spirit then makes intercession for us because He knows the will of God. So many times then when we do not know what to do, we need to ask God to pray in us and pray through us and pray for us because we want His will. And then six, very quickly, there must be a proper affection. The Bible says in Colossians 3:1-2,

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

When we pray, if we say we want God's will and we want God to be honored and glorified, how in the world could we say that if we do not really love Him and love His will and love His truth and really want to see Him honored and glorified? Remember what our Lord taught His disciples to pray? The very first thing He said, "You pray and you say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Honored, glorified, sanctified be thy name. So, if we want our prayers answered, we must have a proper affection as well.

Now, obviously, if we lack a proper association, a proper approach, a proper attitude, a proper asking, a proper apprehension, and a proper affection, it is going to seriously damage our prayer life. And my basic assumption is this, everyone in this room already knows these things. You already know, this is fundamental, it's elementary. What I want to do is this, I want to show you, even in light of our knowledge of these truths, why our prayers are not answered most of the time.

The Story of Josiah and the Lost Law

Josiah was a righteous king, but the law had been lost in the temple. When found and read, Josiah tore his clothes in repentance and sent men to inquire of the Lord.

Go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 22. 2 Kings chapter 22. Here we have the story of Josiah. Josiah was a young man who was brought up in the ways of the Lord. He was eight years old when he began to reign and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. And, of course, according to the Scripture, he was obedient to that which he knew. Now, look, if you would please, in verse 2: "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left."

I don't know about you, but that's a very great commendation. So as much as he knew, he lived an obedient life. At this point, he walked in the way of David his father. However, there was one problem. The problem was that the law of God had been lost. In fact, I preached an entire message just on this one truth, "The Lost Law." I'm not going to re-preach that message. But unhappily, the law was lost in the house of the Lord. Unhappily, that's where it's lost today. As our Lord was wounded in the house of his friends, so likewise, God's own law has been denied and denounced and denigrated in the house of His people. So here the law was lost in the temple, so while they were cleaning out the temple, a copy of the law was found.

And Hilkiah delivered it to Shaphan, and Shaphan read it. Then he went to the king and he read it to the king. I want you to watch what happens. Skip down if you would please. Verse 8: "And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes."

"And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king, saying, Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us." Notice if you would. When he hears the law of God read, he rends his clothes. He tears off those royal garments. And he says, "Look, you better go inquire of the Lord for us. We are in deep, deep problems."

The Consultation of Huldah the Prophetess

Instead of consulting Jeremiah or Zephaniah, the high priest and scribe went to Huldah, revealing the depth of apostasy—those who should have known God's Word were ignorant.

Now, if you will look at verse 13, where did the king send these men? "Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah." Now, an interesting thing happens in verse 14. After he sends them to inquire of the Lord, verse 14 tells us, "So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her." So here's my question: Why did the priest and these men go to a prophetess? The king never sent them unto her. He said, "Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me." So you have to ask yourself this question, why would the priest then go to a woman?

Now, there could be several answers given. You could say, well, first of all, the king was very earnest and very urgent in this request, and this woman was already there in Jerusalem, and moreover, she was well known in the royal court. Her husband was a member of the royal court. She was close by. And so they just went to her. Well, you could say that, and she obviously was close by, and her husband was indeed a member of the royal court. Well, let me ask you another question.

Did you know that Jeremiah and also Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah? So why were they not consulted? You remember that Jeremiah lived in Anathoth. Anathoth was not far from Jerusalem. Why did they not send to Anathoth to Jeremiah the prophet?

Now, I understand he may have been in some other part of the kingdom doing the Lord's work. That's very possible. But obviously, Jeremiah knew Josiah very well. If you will look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 35, 2 Chronicles 35:25, you will find out that Jeremiah made a lamentation over Josiah when he died. Notice in 2 Chronicles 35:25: "And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations." So Jeremiah lamented for him. Obviously, he was there. He knew him, but they never inquired of Jeremiah. It could have been that Zephaniah may not have been actually prophesying at this particular time, he may have started a little bit later. But why in the world did they go to Huldah the prophetess?

Now, let me tell you what I believe. I believe the fact that they went to Huldah the prophetess is a most singular circumstance, and it's very revealing. I believe that it demonstrates the depth of apostasy in which the kingdom had sunk. I'll explain that. Jeremiah was certainly a prophet, but they did not consult him. Zephaniah was a prophet, but they did not consult him either. Watch, if you would, verse 13, he told these men, "Go inquire of the Lord for me." Who was Hilkiah? Hilkiah was the high priest. Do you know what the Bible says in Malachi 2:7?

Let me just quote it. Malachi 2:7:

Scripture Reading — Malachi 2:7

"For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts."

Why would the high priest go to a woman? He was responsible to know. How about Shaphan the scribe? The scribe was the secretary of sacred things. He was responsible to know, and yet he was as ignorant and as useless as he could be. You contrast him with Ezra in Ezra chapter 7:6: "This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given." Notice Ezra was a ready scribe. He knew the law of God. Shaphan knew nothing.

Moreover, the king, King Josiah himself, was helpless. At this point in time, he was at age 26 and he knew nothing. Do you realize that Deuteronomy 17 requires that the king have his own personal copy of the law and he reads out of it every day? So here, the secret of the Lord was not with Hilkiah the priest. It was not with Shaphan the scribe. It was not with the king. It was not with any ministers of the temple. And yet, Huldah, the prophetess, of whom we know absolutely nothing except this circumstance, is consulted on the meaning of the law.

Now, tradition says that she prophesied among the women of the court, being one of the court ladies herself. So what is the significance of the fact that they went to a woman? Well, here it is. I believe this points out that God never leaves Himself without witness, because He's never going to leave sinners without excuse. But remember what I said earlier, I believe this is a singular and most revealing circumstance. Because it reveals the depth of apostasy in which the kingdom had sunk. Listen carefully. When those who should rule, and when those who should know, and when those who should exercise dominion refuse to do so, power will always shift to those who will. Do you realize the only thing needed and necessary to have a matriarchal society is for the men to do nothing? And let me tell you something, men.

The Principle of Lex Talionis in Prayer

God told Josiah, 'Because you heard me, I heard you.' The negative is that if we refuse to hear (obey) God, He will not hear us. This is the law of retribution seen throughout Scripture.

But notice in 2 Kings chapter 22, beginning there with verse 18. Here's what God said to King Josiah: "But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord." Now, did you hear what I just read? Well, you say, "I didn't get it." Well, let's go back to verse 18. Watch the latter part of verse 18: "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard." So he heard God's word, watch: "Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord." So here it is. God says to Josiah, "Because you heard me, I heard you."

Now, let me tell you something, every negative has a positive and every positive has a negative. The positive is Josiah heard God and God heard him. The negative is if you don't hear God, God's not going to hear you. It's the lex talionis. That is the law of retribution, where God makes the punishment fit the crime. You've read it over and over. It's in Exodus 21, in the book of Deuteronomy as well, where God says an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, stripe for stripe, wound for wound. That's the lex talionis. God makes the punishment fit the crime. So when we refuse to listen to God, God in His righteous justice refuses to hear us. Now, you know what He said in 1 Samuel 2:30, listen carefully.

Scriptural Evidence for the Principle

Passages like Hosea 4:6, Proverbs 28:9, Zechariah 7:13, and Proverbs 1:24-31 demonstrate that turning away from God's law results in God refusing to hear prayers.

"Them that honour me I will honour, saith the Lord. But they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." God said, "You honor me, I'm going to honor you. But you despise me and you're going to be lightly esteemed." Now I want you to turn in your Bibles. Hold 2 Kings 22, but look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Hosea. The book of Hosea, chapter 4 and verse 6, you know this verse, you can quote it or at least part of it. Look at Hosea, chapter 4 and verse 6. I want you to see this in light of what I'm teaching tonight. Look at Hosea, chapter 4 and verse 6. Here it is, Hosea 4:6.

God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Everybody can quote that. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Now, watch: "Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Whoa, wait a minute. Did you hear what I just read? God not only said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," "because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Here is the lex talionis, where God makes the punishment fit the crime. You want to know what's wrong with our young people in this land? You want to know what's happening in America? We have forgotten God's law and God in righteousness is forgetting our children. Let me explain that. You know what God's law is? God's law is an expression of His will for you. That's what it is. You know what your children are? They're expressions of your will. You wanted them, you had them. So God says, "You forget my will, I forget your will. You forget my law, I forget your children." Wow. You know what David said in Psalm 66:18, now listen.

He said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." He did not say if I do iniquity, if I commit iniquity, he just said, "If I regard it," in other words, if I counted something high or something pleasing or something satisfying, if I regard it, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." How much worse is it if we do and commit iniquity? He said if we do that, the Lord will not hear us. Why? Because we're violating His will. We're violating His Word. Do you know what iniquity is? Iniquity is sin. Now listen carefully. 1 John 3:4: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." You cannot sin without violating God's law. Sin is a transgression of God's law. So David said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

Now, let me explain something to you. God said to Josiah, "You heard me. Now I'm going to hear you." Wow. Hearing God's Word does not necessarily mean that we just read it every day, or that we come to services faithfully. You say, "Well, Brother Weaver, I'm here Sunday morning, I'm here Sunday afternoon, I'm here any time there's a special meeting, I want to hear God's Word." You can be here 24 hours a day, seven days a week and never really hear God's Word. Doesn't mean it's not being preached. I just want to point out, there are actually two types of hearing. There's an external audible hearing, which everyone that has ears can hear, but there's also a spiritual internal hearing. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel, chapter 15. 1 Samuel, chapter 15. You remember how

King Saul had been sent on a mission by God to destroy the Amalekites. And the Bible tells us that King Saul spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best of the sheep and the best of the oxen. And so when Samuel starts coming to Saul and Saul sees Samuel, he says, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord." And about that time, something went bad. And Samuel said, "Saul, if you've obeyed God, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" If you'd obeyed God, everything would be dead. And Saul said, "The people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed." Watch. 1 Samuel 15:21: "But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king." Now, go back, if you would, to verse 22: "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?" Look what he says: "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." First of all, let me say it like this. God had rather have your obedience than anything else. If you could say to God, "Lord, I'll give you obedience for a million bucks," He'd say, "I'll take obedience." "I'll give you obedience or a truck full of gold," you'll take obedience. But let me show you something about obedience, watch, look back in verse 22, he says, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." And then he says this, "and to hearken than the fat of rams." Do you know what the fat of rams was? The fat of rams was the choicest part of the sacrifice that was always given to God. So when you read, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams,"

you have to understand that hearkening and obedience are synonymous. They're one and the same. No one ever really hears the Word of God until he heeds the Word of God. No one ever really hears the Word of God until he obeys the Word of God. You can sit and listen externally, and you can learn, and you can quote, and you can memorize, but unless you actually apply it and obey it, you have not heard it. You haven't heard it. Now, you say, "Wait a minute, Brother Weaver, I don't know if there's all this to this that you're making up." Really? Well, look in your Bibles to Proverbs, chapter 28, and let's look at verse 9. Proverbs 28:9. Let's see if there's other verses that say exactly the same thing that I've been saying for the last 45 minutes. Notice if you would, Proverbs, chapter 28 and verse 9. Proverbs 28:9. Here it is again. Note, if you would, what God says, Proverbs 28:9.

"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." You know what an abomination is? It's a stench in God's nostrils. God says you turn away your ear from hearing, obeying my law, even your prayer will be a stench in my nostrils. What does God say? You don't hear me, I don't hear you. Whoa. Let me show it to you again, look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, chapter 7, right before the book of Malachi, Zechariah, chapter 7. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Zechariah 7:7.

I want you to watch this. This is taught throughout the Scripture, Zechariah 7:7: "Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain? And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts:

but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate." Did you see what he said in verse 13? "Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear." That's the lex talionis of Scripture. That is the law of retribution. That is perfect justice. God said to these people, "You will not hear me. I won't hear you." I want you to turn to two other passages, I do want you to look in Mark, chapter 4. Mark, chapter 4. This is a tremendous passage, I've got a brief series on this, but it is just absolutely astounding when you look at this, look in Mark, chapter 4, and I want you to begin reading with me in verse 23. Mark 4:23: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath." Now, go back to verse 24: "Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you."

Now, wait a minute. You say, "Brother Weaver, I'm going to spend 15 minutes a day studying my Bible." Guess what? If you spend 15 minutes a day studying your Bible, you're going to get 15 minutes worth of truth. Whatever you measure, God said, "I'm going to measure it right back to you." You're not going to get two hours worth of truth for studying 15 minutes. You're not.

Now, watch what he said after he said in verse 24: "And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given." What? Do you know why most people remain absolute babes in Christ and they never mature? And the answer is very simple, because they do not obey truth. Why should God give you any more truth if you're not going to obey what He's already given you? And then he says in the next verse, basically, if you don't use it, you lose it. And that's the simple truth, if you do not use God's truth, if you do not apply it, you forget it, you lose it. I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 1, because here's the thing, I want you to see this principle applies not only to the saints of God, but it also applies to sinners. You know, one of the greatest fallacies that exists in the minds of sinners is that they believe somehow that salvation is in their hands and they can be saved whenever they want to be saved.

I've had people tell me, "Well, Brother Weaver, I'm going to get saved about 15 minutes before I die." Really? Really? You don't even know when you're going to die. And you may not have 15 minutes, and then the Scripture says, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near." He may not be able to be found or He may not be near when you start dying and you're in trouble. But let me just show you what the Scripture says. Notice if you would, Proverbs chapter 1, verse 22: "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof:" look what God says now, "behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." Here's what God says: "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." What did God say? "They will call unto me, but I will not answer. They will seek me early, but they will not find me." Let me tell you something. You're not ever saved in your time. You're only saved in God's time. And if God doesn't save you, you're not saved no matter how many professions you make. It's just that simple. If you refuse to hear God, God may justly and righteously refuse to hear you. You see, folks, it's not just hearing the preaching of the Word of God that counts. It's obeying it and applying it

Conclusion: Hearing Means Obeying

True hearing is obedience. God answers prayer when we hear and obey His Word; He withholds answers when we disregard it. The reason most prayers are not answered is that people refuse to hear God.

and making it practical in every day of your life. And the reason God does not answer most prayers is people refuse to hear Him. Even His children. How many of you parents will try to bless a disobedient, belligerent, arrogant, rebellious child? You won't. You'll let him eat the fruit of his own way. You'll let him learn the hard way. And oftentimes, that's what God does to us. If we refuse to hear Him, He may justly refuse to hear us.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Lex Talionis Principle in Prayer

Summary: God answers prayer based on whether we hear (obey) Him. If we refuse to hear His Word, He righteously refuses to hear our prayers.

Evidence: God said to Josiah, 'Because thine heart was tender... I also have heard thee' (2 Kings 22:19). The negative is that if you don't hear God, He won't hear you. Proverbs 28:9: 'He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.'

Obedience as True Hearing

Summary: Hearing God's Word is not merely external listening but internal obedience. To hearken is to obey; without obedience, one has not truly heard.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 15:22: 'Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.' Obedience and hearkening are synonymous. No one really hears until he heeds.

Prerequisites for Effective Prayer

Summary: Answered prayer requires proper association (being God's child), approach (through Christ), attitude (faith), asking (in Christ's name, not selfishly), apprehension (according to God's will), and affection (love for God).

Evidence: Matthew 7:9-11 (association), John 14:6 (approach), Hebrews 11:6 (attitude), James 4:3 (asking), 1 John 5:14-15 (apprehension), Colossians 3:1-2 (affection).

The Danger of Apostasy and Ignorance of God's Word

Summary: The story of Josiah shows that even leaders can lose God's law. When those who should know are ignorant, God raises up witnesses, but it reveals deep apostasy.

Evidence: The high priest and scribe were ignorant of the law; they consulted Huldah instead of Jeremiah. This demonstrates the depth of apostasy in the kingdom.

Prayer as Duty and Privilege, Not Manipulation

Summary: Prayer is commanded by God and is a privilege of communion, not a tool to change God's mind or fulfill selfish desires.

Evidence: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands prayer without ceasing. Prayer is not an attempt to change the immutable God; it is to accomplish His will.

The Measure of Hearing Determines the Measure of Receiving

Summary: The degree to which we hear and obey God's Word determines the degree to which we receive from Him, including answered prayer.

Evidence: Mark 4:24: 'Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.' If we spend little time in the Word, we receive little.

Key Arguments

God's Answer to Prayer Is Conditional on Our Hearing Him

Summary: The primary reason most prayers are not answered is that people do not hear (obey) God's Word. God's response mirrors our response to Him.

Evidence: 2 Kings 22:19: 'Because thine heart was tender... I also have heard thee.' The negative is that if you don't hear God, He won't hear you. Zechariah 7:13: 'As he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear.'

Obedience Is Synonymous with True Hearing

Summary: External hearing is insufficient; only when we obey God's Word have we truly heard it. Disobedience is a refusal to hear.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 15:22 equates obeying and hearkening. 'No one ever really hears the Word of God until he heeds the Word of God.'

Prayer Must Be According to God's Will, Not Selfish Desires

Summary: Asking amiss—to consume on lusts—results in unanswered prayer. Prayer must align with God's revealed will in Scripture.

Evidence: James 4:3: 'Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.' 1 John 5:14: 'If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.'

Ignorance of God's Law Leads to Judgment and Unanswered Prayer

Summary: When God's people reject knowledge of His law, He rejects them and their prayers. This is seen in the apostasy of Josiah's day.

Evidence: Hosea 4:6: 'Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.'

Faith Is Essential for Answered Prayer

Summary: Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Doubt and wavering prevent receiving anything from the Lord.

Evidence: Hebrews 11:6: 'Without faith it is impossible to please him.' James 1:6-7: 'Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.'

The Only Acceptable Approach to God Is Through Christ

Summary: Prayer must be offered in Jesus' name, acknowledging our own unworthiness and relying solely on His merit and mediation.

Evidence: John 14:6: 'No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.' 1 Timothy 2:5: 'One mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.'

Scripture References

2 Kings 22:1-20

Context: The entire chapter is read as the foundational text for the message, detailing Josiah's reign, the finding of the law, and the prophecy of Huldah.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Context: Cited to show that prayer is a commanded duty: 'Pray without ceasing.'

Luke 18:1

Context: Cited alongside 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to emphasize that men ought always to pray and not faint.

Matthew 7:9-11

Context: Used to illustrate the proper association of being God's child: a father gives good gifts to his children.

John 14:6

Context: Quoted to establish that the only proper approach to God is through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:18

Context: Cited to show that through Christ we have access by one Spirit to the Father.

1 Timothy 2:5

Context: Used to affirm that there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 10:19-22

Context: Read to contrast the Old Testament restriction with the boldness believers now have to enter the holiest through Christ's blood.

Hebrews 11:6

Context: Quoted to show that faith is essential to please God and receive from Him.

James 1:5-7

Context: Cited to warn against wavering in faith when asking God for wisdom.

Matthew 21:22

Context: Quoted to support the need for believing prayer: 'All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.'

Mark 11:24

Context: Cited alongside Matthew 21:22 to reinforce the necessity of faith in prayer.

John 14:13-14

Context: Quoted to establish the proper asking: asking in Jesus' name so the Father may be glorified.

John 16:26

Context: Cited to further emphasize asking in Jesus' name.

Matthew 6:7

Context: Quoted to warn against vain repetitions in prayer, thinking to be heard for much speaking.

James 4:1-3

Context: Read to show that asking amiss—to consume on lusts—results in unanswered prayer.

1 John 5:12-15

Context: Read to teach that confidence in prayer comes from asking according to God's will, and that we know we have petitions if we ask according to His will.

Romans 8:26-27

Context: Cited to show the Holy Spirit's intercession when we do not know what to pray for, making intercession according to God's will.

Colossians 3:1-2

Context: Quoted to emphasize setting affection on things above as a prerequisite for prayer.

Malachi 2:7

Context: Quoted to show the priest's responsibility to keep knowledge, contrasting with Hilkiah's ignorance.

Historical References

Josiah's reign (640–609 BC)

Context: Josiah became king at eight years old and reigned 31 years. He was a righteous king who walked in the ways of David, but the law had been lost in the temple.

Huldah the prophetess

Context: A prophetess in Jerusalem during Josiah's reign, consulted by the high priest and scribe when the law was found. Her husband was keeper of the wardrobe.

Jeremiah the prophet

Context: Jeremiah also prophesied during Josiah's reign and later lamented Josiah's death (2 Chronicles 35:25), but was not consulted in this instance.

Zephaniah the prophet

Context: Zephaniah prophesied during Josiah's reign but was not consulted; possibly his ministry began later.

Ezra the scribe

Context: Contrasted with Shaphan: Ezra was a ready scribe in the law of Moses (Ezra 7:6), while Shaphan was ignorant.

King Saul's disobedience (1 Samuel 15)

Context: Saul spared Agag and the best of the spoil, claiming obedience. Samuel rebuked him, saying to obey is better than sacrifice, and God rejected Saul as king.

Important Quotes

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.

Significance: This is the central verse of the message, showing the direct correlation between Josiah hearing (obeying) God and God hearing Josiah's prayer.

He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

Significance: This proverb succinctly states the principle that refusing to hear God's law makes one's prayer detestable to God.

Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts.

Significance: This verse from Zechariah explicitly articulates the lex talionis principle in prayer: God mirrors our response to Him.

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Significance: This quote from Samuel's rebuke of Saul equates hearkening with obedience, showing that true hearing is doing.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

Significance: David's statement in Psalm 66:18 underscores that cherishing sin blocks prayer, reinforcing the need for a pure heart.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Significance: James 4:3 explains that selfish motives in prayer lead to unanswered requests.

Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

Significance: Mark 4:24 teaches that the degree of our hearing and obedience determines the degree of spiritual blessing we receive.

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.

Significance: Proverbs 1:28 warns that persistent rejection of God's call can lead to a point where He refuses to answer.

Discussion Questions

How does the principle of lex talionis (God hearing us as we hear Him) challenge your current prayer life?

Context: The message centers on 2 Kings 22:19 and the idea that God's response to our prayers mirrors our response to His Word.

In what ways might we be 'hearing' God's Word externally without truly obeying it?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between external audible hearing and internal spiritual hearing, using 1 Samuel 15:22 to equate hearkening with obedience.

Which of the six prerequisites for answered prayer (association, approach, attitude, asking, apprehension, affection) do you find most challenging, and why?

Context: The prerequisites are outlined from Matthew 7, John 14, Hebrews 11, James 4, 1 John 5, and Colossians 3.

How does the story of Josiah and the lost law illustrate the danger of neglecting God's Word in our own lives and churches?

Context: The law was lost in the temple, and even the religious leaders were ignorant, revealing deep apostasy.

What does it practically mean to 'ask in Jesus' name,' and how does this guard against selfish praying?

Context: Weaver uses the bank check illustration to explain that asking in Jesus' name means relying on His merit, not our own, and James 4:3 warns against asking amiss.

How can we cultivate a 'proper apprehension' of God's will in prayer, especially when we are uncertain about specific situations?

Context: 1 John 5:14-15 and Romans 8:26-27 are discussed, emphasizing prayer according to Scripture and the Spirit's intercession.

Why is it dangerous to assume we can delay obedience or repentance until a later time?

Context: Proverbs 1:24-31 warns that persistent refusal to hear God can result in Him refusing to answer when calamity comes.

How does the measure we use in hearing God's Word affect our spiritual growth and prayer life?

Context: Mark 4:24 teaches that the measure we give (time, attention, obedience) determines what we receive from God.

Applications

Examine Your Hearing of God's Word

Summary: Evaluate whether you are truly hearing God's Word by obeying it, not just listening externally. True hearing leads to answered prayer.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 15:22 equates hearkening with obedience. 'No one ever really hears the Word of God until he heeds the Word of God.'

Repent of Regarding Iniquity

Summary: If you cherish any sin in your heart, God will not hear your prayers. Confess and forsake sin to restore fellowship.

Evidence: Psalm 66:18: 'If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.'

Pray According to God's Will

Summary: Align your requests with Scripture. When uncertain, pray 'Thy will be done' and rely on the Spirit's intercession.

Evidence: 1 John 5:14: 'If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.' Romans 8:26-27 on the Spirit's help.

Ask in Jesus' Name with Right Motives

Summary: Approach God solely on the merits of Christ, not your own, and examine your motives to ensure they are not selfish.

Evidence: John 14:13-14 and James 4:3. The bank check illustration shows dependence on Christ's riches.

Cultivate a Tender Heart Like Josiah

Summary: When confronted with God's Word, respond with humility, repentance, and tears, as Josiah did, so that God will hear you.

Evidence: 2 Kings 22:19: Josiah's heart was tender, he humbled himself, rent his clothes, and wept, and God heard him.

Increase Your Measure of Hearing

Summary: Devote more time and attention to studying and obeying God's Word, knowing that the measure you give determines what you receive.

Evidence: Mark 4:24: 'With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.'

Do Not Delay Obedience

Summary: Respond to God's call promptly; persistent refusal may lead to a hardened heart and unanswered prayer in times of need.

Evidence: Proverbs 1:24-31: 'Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer.'

Lead Your Home in Hearing God

Summary: Men, take responsibility to be the spiritual leaders who hear and obey God's Word, so that your family follows suit.

Evidence: The example of Josiah's leadership and the warning that when men fail, others take over (Huldah consulted instead of priests).

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:11:42Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:12:07Z

Clean Transcript

Why Doesn't God Answer All Prayers

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, let's open our Bibles tonight, please, to the book of 2 Kings, chapter 22. 2 Kings, chapter 22. I want to read the first 20 verses. 2 Kings, chapter 22. Title of the message tonight is "Why God Does Not Answer Most Prayers." I want you to see this from the scripture, so notice if you would. 2 Kings 22, beginning with verse 1: "Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem."
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"And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand, or to the left. And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: and let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house, unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house."
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"Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully. And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king, saying, Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that
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is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe;
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(now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.
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Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again." I don't know if you've ever considered why God does not answer most prayers, but I suppose if I could answer that question specifically in every instance, I could become a very wealthy man because most people would pay good money to have their prayers answered. And those that were not answered, they'd pay good money to find out why they were not answered so they could correct them in order to have them answered.
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Well, you have to understand, first of all, that praying, of course, is a duty as well as a privilege. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we're to pray without ceasing. And then our Lord said in Luke 18:1, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Since prayer is a command, it is also a duty. But since prayer is to our heavenly Father, it is also a privilege. It is an opportunity, therefore, to commune with our heavenly Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me tell you something about prayer. First of all, prayer is not an attempt to change the mind or the will of God. You try to change the immutable God and you've got problems, so prayer is not an attempt to change the mind of God.
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Moreover, prayer is not simply an instrument or means to simply get what you want. Prayer is to be an instrument to accomplish the will of God. God has not only ordained the end, He's also ordained the means to the end as well. And the truth of the matter is this: we must actually pray, whether our prayers are answered or not, for the very simple reason that God has commanded us to pray. So prayer, first and foremost, is to be done in obedience to the command of our heavenly Father. Now, our prayer life is not to be judged by how many prayers we have answered, but by how well and how faithfully we pray. Because prayer done in obedience and faith is always acceptable unto the Lord. Now, before I delineate specifically from the Bible why most prayers are not answered, let me just very quickly give you some prerequisites concerning prayer. I want you to think about this.
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Most of you probably know one or two of these. Maybe you know all of them, but let me just lay them out for you. For prayer to be successful, for to have your prayers answered, there must be a proper association. What do I mean by proper association? Well, I simply mean this: our Lord said in Luke chapter 11, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven." By proper association, I mean there is a relationship between you and the heavenly Father.
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That is, we are indeed the children of God by faith. Now, I understand that God blesses the just and the unjust alike. That's what He said in Matthew chapter 5. But the truth of the matter is there is a covenantal relation that exists between the Father and His children. There will always be a far more gracious bond between the Father and His children than between the Father and the children of strangers.
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In fact, our Lord Himself used this illustration. If you would hold 2 Kings, but look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. Look what He says just to show you what I'm talking about. Look at Matthew chapter 7, and let's begin reading there with verse 9. Matthew 7:9: "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" So if a father has his son ask for a piece of bread, he's not going to pick up a stone. Or if he asked for a piece of meat, he's not going to hand him a serpent. In other words, we're going to do good to our children because they're our children. And our Lord said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father do that as well?"
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So there must be a proper association. In 2 Thessalonians 2:16, the Bible says, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace." So there is a proper association that we must have. Secondly, there must be a proper approach. The Bible says in John 14:6, our Lord was speaking, He says, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
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I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." When you get to Ephesians 2:18, the Bible says, "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." You have to understand this, that there is no way that anyone can just simply get to God the Father except through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way. Just stop and think about the Old Testament.
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If any Israelite even tried to rush into the Holy of Holies on his own, what would have happened to him? He'd have died. He'd have been killed instantly. Only the high priest went in there, and then once a year, and then not without the shedding of blood. So the Bible is teaching you cannot just simply approach God any way that you want to approach God. There is a proper way to approach Him. That's why the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Now, if you would hold 2 Kings and look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Hebrews chapter 10, let me show you what the Scripture says now concerning the proper approach and what we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice, if you would, Hebrews chapter 10, beginning there with verse 19. Hebrews 10:19. Remember now, contrast what the children of Israel could not do in the tabernacle and the temple, and now what we may do through the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So, Hebrews 10:19: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." So He tells us that we may come boldly to our heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. But that is the only way that we may boldly come to Jesus Christ. Anytime you come to God and you're trying to depend upon your works or your merits or your good deeds or your ancestors or the angels or the saints or anyone or anything else, you've already messed up. The only acceptable approach to God the Father is through the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So in order to have your prayer answered, there must be a proper association. There must be a proper approach. And thirdly, there must be a proper attitude. I quoted this verse last night. Hebrews 11:6, the Bible says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Now, why in the world would you come to God if, number one, you did not believe in Him, and number two, you did not believe that He would hear or answer your prayer?
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May I give you the opposite? Think about this in James 1:5-7. Our Lord said there, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."
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So there has to be a proper attitude. You have to come to God believing. That's why in Matthew 21:22, our Lord said, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." That's why in Mark 11:24, He said, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." So there has to be a proper association. There has to be a proper approach. There has to be a proper attitude and there has to be, fourthly, a proper asking. Do you realize, our Lord said in John 14:13-14, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." And John 16:26, He said, "At that day ye shall ask in my name." There has to be a proper asking.
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Now, everyone in this room that is a parent understands what I'm going to tell you. If your child comes to you with a bad attitude, and demanding and belligerent and rebellious, are you going to give him anything that he asked for? What's the answer? No. Years ago, our two oldest grandchildren, who will be now 28 this coming May, they were about two years old. And Alice and I took them down to Walmart because they wanted some cow boots, cowboy boots. They just called them cow boots.
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And to be absolutely honest, I had 20 bucks to my name. That's all I had. And we had to buy groceries. And so what we were going to do, we were going to just take them down and let them try the shoes on, the boots on, and we were going to, you know, come back and buy them later when we had the money. Well, they weren't that much, but I mean, we had to buy groceries as well. So I remember we tried those little boots on, Casey and Renee, and they put them on the floor.
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They started walking around on them. Then we took them off when we saw that they fit. We put them back in the box. We knew the size. We put them back up. I picked up my grandson, and she picked up her granddaughter. And as we started to walk off, my grandson looked at those cowboy boots, and he said, "Bye-bye, cowboots." And I looked at my wife and said, "Get them. We'll go hungry."
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Now, if he had pitched a fit and thrown himself on the floor and started screaming, the only thing he'd have gotten would have been a whipping. But you see, there has to be a proper asking. Now, what in the world do I mean by proper asking? You do not think, or at least you should not think, that your prayers are going to be heard just simply because they're loud and vociferous and because you repeat them. The Bible says in Matthew 6:7, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." It is not the repetition nor the vigor of our prayers that have merit. The merit is only found in Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's all. We have to learn to ask in the name of Christ. Have you ever wondered what it means to ask in the name of Christ? Have you ever really thought about that?
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Suppose I went to Tennessee to a bank. And I wrote a countercheck to myself for a million bucks. And I signed it and I took it up to the teller. And I said, "I'd like you to cash this check, please." She looked at it, said, "Wow, that's a pretty good amount." She said, "Mr. Weaver, do you have an account in this bank?" "No, ma'am, I don't." "You mean you have no account here?" "No." "You have any money in this bank?" "No." "You don't expect me to cash this check, do you?" "Well, ma'am, I really need the money. I'd really like you to cash it." She said, "I can't cash the check." Now, here's the thing. Here I am at this bank asking for money in my name.
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And I have absolutely nothing. So I go to the same bank the next day, and here's a check made out to me, signed by Jimmy Barber. And I hand it to the teller, and I said, "I'd like you to cash this check for me." "Oh, Jimmy Barber. Is that all that old skinflint's giving you? How do you want it, sir?" And she just yells it out.
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Now you see what I'm saying. I'm making that up, but you understand. On the one hand, I was asking in my name when I had absolutely nothing. Now I'm asking in the name of a rich man who has a multitude of things. So where she would not cash the check in the first instance, she would cash the check in the second instance. So here's what it literally means to ask in the name of Christ. When we come to our heavenly Father and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, here's what we're confessing: We are nothing. We have nothing. We can do nothing. We merit nothing. And Father, the only reason I'm expecting you to even hear and answer my prayer is because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. That's the only reason. So that means there is a proper asking.
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And by the way, I want you to turn very quickly to the book of James chapter 4. Let me just show you there is indeed an improper asking, even if you ask in the name of Christ. You say, "What are you talking about? An improper asking, even if you ask in the name of Christ?" We'll look at James chapter 4, beginning there with verse 1. Look what James says, James 4:1: "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" Now, look what he says in verse 2: "Ye lust, and have not.
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ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." And then he says in verse 3: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." God's not going to give you something just to consume upon your own lust. I never will forget years ago I was talking to a man who was a professing Christian. And he said, "Preacher, I need to ask you a question."
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I said, "Well, go ahead." He said, "When I got saved," he said, "I smoked. And I drank. He said, I asked the Lord to take away my drinking, He did. I asked Him to take away my smoking, He did." He said, "Just like that." I thought, "That's good, that's wonderful." "Well, what's the question?" "Well," he said, "He's answered my prayer in so many instances," he said, "I'm having problems with a prayer request now that I can't get answered." I said, "Well, what is it?" "Well," he says, "I've met this woman and I want to marry her. But he said, she won't marry me right now."
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And I looked at him and I kind of grinned. I said, "Well, maybe she doesn't love you." He said, "She says she does." "Well," I said, "now, wait a minute." And of course, both of them were in age. I said, "Now, if you say you love her and she says she loves you, why can't you get married?" He said, "Because her husband won't give her a divorce."
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When I picked my jaw up from the floor, I said, "Let me explain something to you. God is not going to help you to violate His law. Do you understand that? 'Ye ask, and receive not.'" He said, "Why?" "Because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your own lusts." So there has to be a proper asking. There must also be a proper apprehension. Let me show you.
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Look in your Bibles to 1 John, chapter 5. 1 John, chapter 5. We are coming back to 2 Kings. Hang on. 1 John, chapter 5. Notice if you would, verses 14 and 15. Here are two wonderful verses. In fact, let's begin reading there with verse 12. Watch this. You talk about a proper apprehension. Here it is. 1 John 5:12: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Now watch verse 14.
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"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
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Now go back to verse 13. He says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God." Skip down to verse 14: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us." Note, if you would, God says, "Whatever you ask according to my will, I will hear you." And then in the next verse, He says, "If we know that he hear us, we know that we will receive those things." So here's my question: How do we know, then, that we're praying in the will of God? And the answer is when we pray according to the Scriptures.
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God's Word and God's will is revealed in the Bible. Here is absolute assurance in prayer. But now, wait a minute. You said, "Brother Weaver, there are times that I might not know specifically what God's will is for an individual." Well, that's why our Lord taught us to pray in Luke chapter 11, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Notice He would, He said, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."
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In all my ministry, I prayed for a lot of sick people. I prayed for people on their deathbeds, and they've gotten well. I prayed for other people, and they died. Let me tell you something. It is God's will to heal most of the time, because all of us have been sick and have gotten well, but it's not His will to heal all of the time, because if He did, no one would ever die.
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And the wages of sin is death. We're going to die. So in an instance, if I'm praying for someone and I don't know what God's will for that individual is, I just simply ask, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." And if you will turn in your Bible very quickly to the book of Romans, chapter 8, notice, if you would please. Here's a tremendous ministry of the Holy Spirit to us and in us as well. Romans chapter 8. Notice, if you would please, verses 26 and 27. Romans 8:26. Watch carefully. Romans 8:26: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:
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but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
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Now go back and look at verse 26: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Let me ask you a question. And I can assure you, I know the answer for these preachers. But has there ever been a time in your life that you have been so burdened and so broken over an incident, sometimes it's family, sometimes it's finances, sometimes it's friends, I don't care what it is, but you've been so broken and you've been so hurt
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that all you can do is literally fall on your face before God and just say, "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God." You don't even know how to pray. You don't know where to begin. All you can do is just groan. Well, the Scripture says the Holy Spirit then makes intercession for us because He knows the will of God. So many times then when we do not know what to do, we need to ask God to pray in us and pray through us and pray for us because we want His will.
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And then six, very quickly, there must be a proper affection. The Bible says in Colossians 3:1-2, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." When we pray, if we say we want God's will and we want God to be honored and glorified, how in the world could we say that if we do not really love Him and love His will and love His truth and really want to see Him honored and glorified? Remember what our Lord taught His disciples to pray? The very first thing He said, "You pray and you say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Honored, glorified, sanctified be thy name. So, if we want our prayers answered, we must have a proper affection as well.
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Now, obviously, if we lack a proper association, a proper approach, a proper attitude, a proper asking, a proper apprehension, and a proper affection, it is going to seriously damage our prayer life. And my basic assumption is this, everyone in this room already knows these things. You already know, this is fundamental, it's elementary. What I want to do is this, I want to show you, even in light of our knowledge of these truths, why our prayers are not answered most of the time.
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Go back in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 22. 2 Kings chapter 22. Here we have the story of Josiah. Josiah was a young man who was brought up in the ways of the Lord. He was eight years old when he began to reign and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. And, of course, according to the Scripture, he was obedient to that which he knew. Now, look, if you would please, in verse 2: "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left."
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I don't know about you, but that's a very great commendation. So as much as he knew, he lived an obedient life. At this point, he walked in the way of David his father. However, there was one problem. The problem was that the law of God had been lost. In fact, I preached an entire message just on this one truth, "The Lost Law." I'm not going to re-preach that message. But unhappily, the law was lost in the house of the Lord. Unhappily, that's where it's lost today. As our Lord was wounded in the house of his friends, so likewise, God's own law has been denied and denounced and denigrated in the house of His people. So here the law was lost in the temple, so while they were cleaning out the temple, a copy of the law was found.
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And Hilkiah delivered it to Shaphan, and Shaphan read it. Then he went to the king and he read it to the king. I want you to watch what happens. Skip down if you would please. Verse 8: "And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes."
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"And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king, saying, Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us." Notice if you would.
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When he hears the law of God read, he rends his clothes. He tears off those royal garments. And he says, "Look, you better go inquire of the Lord for us. We are in deep, deep problems."
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Now, if you will look at verse 13, where did the king send these men? "Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah." Now, an interesting thing happens in verse 14. After he sends them to inquire of the Lord, verse 14 tells us, "So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe;
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(now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her." So here's my question: Why did the priest and these men go to a prophetess? The king never sent them unto her. He said, "Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me." So you have to ask yourself this question, why would the priest then go to a woman?
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Now, there could be several answers given. You could say, well, first of all, the king was very earnest and very urgent in this request, and this woman was already there in Jerusalem, and moreover, she was well known in the royal court. Her husband was a member of the royal court. She was close by. And so they just went to her. Well, you could say that, and she obviously was close by, and her husband was indeed a member of the royal court. Well, let me ask you another question.
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Did you know that Jeremiah and also Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah? So why were they not consulted? You remember that Jeremiah lived in Anathoth. Anathoth was not far from Jerusalem. Why did they not send to Anathoth to Jeremiah the prophet?
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Now, I understand he may have been in some other part of the kingdom doing the Lord's work. That's very possible. But obviously, Jeremiah knew Josiah very well. If you will look in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 35, 2 Chronicles 35:25, you will find out that Jeremiah made a lamentation over Josiah when he died. Notice in 2 Chronicles 35:25: "And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel:
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and, behold, they are written in the lamentations." So Jeremiah lamented for him. Obviously, he was there. He knew him, but they never inquired of Jeremiah. It could have been that Zephaniah may not have been actually prophesying at this particular time, he may have started a little bit later. But why in the world did they go to Huldah the prophetess?
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Now, let me tell you what I believe. I believe the fact that they went to Huldah the prophetess is a most singular circumstance, and it's very revealing. I believe that it demonstrates the depth of apostasy in which the kingdom had sunk. I'll explain that. Jeremiah was certainly a prophet, but they did not consult him. Zephaniah was a prophet, but they did not consult him either. Watch, if you would, verse 13, he told these men, "Go inquire of the Lord for me." Who was Hilkiah? Hilkiah was the high priest. Do you know what the Bible says in Malachi 2:7?
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Let me just quote it. Malachi 2:7: "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." Why would the high priest go to a woman? He was responsible to know. How about Shaphan the scribe? The scribe was the secretary of sacred things. He was responsible to know, and yet he was as ignorant and as useless as he could be. You contrast him with Ezra in Ezra chapter 7:6: "This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given." Notice Ezra was a ready scribe. He knew the law of God. Shaphan knew nothing.
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Moreover, the king, King Josiah himself, was helpless. At this point in time, he was at age 26 and he knew nothing. Do you realize that Deuteronomy 17 requires that the king have his own personal copy of the law and he reads out of it every day? So here, the secret of the Lord was not with Hilkiah the priest. It was not with Shaphan the scribe. It was not with the king.
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It was not with any ministers of the temple. And yet, Huldah, the prophetess, of whom we know absolutely nothing except this circumstance, is consulted on the meaning of the law.
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Now, tradition says that she prophesied among the women of the court, being one of the court ladies herself. So what is the significance of the fact that they went to a woman? Well, here it is. I believe this points out that God never leaves Himself without witness, because He's never going to leave sinners without excuse. But remember what I said earlier, I believe this is a singular and most revealing circumstance.
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Because it reveals the depth of apostasy in which the kingdom had sunk. Listen carefully. When those who should rule, and when those who should know, and when those who should exercise dominion refuse to do so, power will always shift to those who will. Do you realize the only thing needed and necessary to have a matriarchal society is for the men to do nothing? And let me tell you something, men.
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If you will not be the head of your home, I can assure you, your wife will. And if your wife will not be the head of your home, your children will. Somebody will run that home. I was in a store in Douglas, Georgia, and here was a woman with a kid in her shopping cart, and the kid was screaming bloody murder, crying, screaming, pitching a fit. She pushed that shopping cart up to a man, evidently her husband. And I was standing about three feet away, and she said, "Would you please do something with this kid? He's upset and crying because I would not buy him a toy that he already has one just like it at home."
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I just bit my tongue to keep from saying, "Give him to me, lady. I can take care of it, I can assure you, I can take care of it." You know who ran that home?
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Now, all I'm simply pointing out is simply this, I know that there are plenty of godly women and I am thankful for every godly woman. But the sad truth is most of them became that way apart from their husbands. It should be the husband leading and directing and saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it."
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Now, the point of this message is not necessarily to deal with Huldah. The point is to show you why God does not answer most prayers. So they come to Huldah and I want you to skip down, I want to just read it to you and I want you to just see if you can pick this out yourself. I never will forget when I first saw this simple truth of how it really affected me.
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But notice in 2 Kings chapter 22, beginning there with verse 18. Here's what God said to King Josiah: "But to the king of Judah which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord."
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Now, did you hear what I just read? Well, you say, "I didn't get it." Well, let's go back to verse 18. Watch the latter part of verse 18: "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard." So he heard God's word, watch: "Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord." So here it is. God says to Josiah, "Because you heard me, I heard you."
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Now, let me tell you something, every negative has a positive and every positive has a negative. The positive is Josiah heard God and God heard him. The negative is if you don't hear God, God's not going to hear you. It's the lex talionis. That is the law of retribution, where God makes the punishment fit the crime. You've read it over and over. It's in Exodus 21, in the book of Deuteronomy as well, where God says an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, stripe for stripe, wound for wound. That's the lex talionis. God makes the punishment fit the crime. So when we refuse to listen to God, God in His righteous justice refuses to hear us. Now, you know what He said in 1 Samuel 2:30, listen carefully.
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"Them that honour me I will honour, saith the Lord. But they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." God said, "You honor me, I'm going to honor you. But you despise me and you're going to be lightly esteemed."
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Now I want you to turn in your Bibles. Hold 2 Kings 22, but look in your Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Hosea. The book of Hosea, chapter 4 and verse 6, you know this verse, you can quote it or at least part of it. Look at Hosea, chapter 4 and verse 6. I want you to see this in light of what I'm teaching tonight. Look at Hosea, chapter 4 and verse 6. Here it is, Hosea 4:6.
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God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Everybody can quote that. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Now, watch: "Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Whoa, wait a minute. Did you hear what I just read? God not only said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," "because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Here is the lex talionis, where God makes the punishment fit the crime.
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You want to know what's wrong with our young people in this land? You want to know what's happening in America? We have forgotten God's law and God in righteousness is forgetting our children. Let me explain that. You know what God's law is? God's law is an expression of His will for you. That's what it is. You know what your children are? They're expressions of your will. You wanted them, you had them. So God says, "You forget my will, I forget your will. You forget my law, I forget your children." Wow. You know what David said in Psalm 66:18, now listen.
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He said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." He did not say if I do iniquity, if I commit iniquity, he just said, "If I regard it," in other words, if I counted something high or something pleasing or something satisfying, if I regard it, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." How much worse is it if we do and commit iniquity? He said if we do that, the Lord will not hear us. Why?
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Because we're violating His will. We're violating His Word. Do you know what iniquity is? Iniquity is sin. Now listen carefully. 1 John 3:4: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." You cannot sin without violating God's law. Sin is a transgression of God's law. So David said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."
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Now, let me explain something to you. God said to Josiah, "You heard me.
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Now I'm going to hear you." Wow. Hearing God's Word does not necessarily mean that we just read it every day, or that we come to services faithfully. You say, "Well, Brother Weaver, I'm here Sunday morning, I'm here Sunday afternoon, I'm here any time there's a special meeting, I want to hear God's Word." You can be here 24 hours a day, seven days a week and never really hear God's Word. Doesn't mean it's not being preached. I just want to point out, there are actually two types of hearing. There's an external audible hearing, which everyone that has ears can hear, but there's also a spiritual internal hearing. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel, chapter 15. 1 Samuel, chapter 15. You remember how
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King Saul had been sent on a mission by God to destroy the Amalekites. And the Bible tells us that King Saul spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best of the sheep and the best of the oxen. And so when Samuel starts coming to Saul and Saul sees Samuel, he says, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord." And about that time, something went bad. And Samuel said, "Saul, if you've obeyed God, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" If you'd obeyed God, everything would be dead. And Saul said, "The people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed." Watch. 1 Samuel 15:21: "But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
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Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."
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Now, go back, if you would, to verse 22: "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?" Look what he says: "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." First of all, let me say it like this. God had rather have your obedience than anything else. If you could say to God, "Lord, I'll give you obedience for a million bucks," He'd say, "I'll take obedience." "I'll give you obedience or a truck full of gold," you'll take obedience. But let me show you something about obedience, watch, look back in verse 22, he says, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." And then he says this, "and to hearken than the fat of rams." Do you know what the fat of rams was? The fat of rams was the choicest part of the sacrifice that was always given to God. So when you read, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams,"
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you have to understand that hearkening and obedience are synonymous. They're one and the same. No one ever really hears the Word of God until he heeds the Word of God. No one ever really hears the Word of God until he obeys the Word of God. You can sit and listen externally, and you can learn, and you can quote, and you can memorize, but unless you actually apply it and obey it, you have not heard it. You haven't heard it. Now, you say, "Wait a minute, Brother Weaver, I don't know if there's all this to this that you're making up." Really? Well, look in your Bibles to Proverbs, chapter 28, and let's look at verse 9. Proverbs 28:9. Let's see if there's other verses that say exactly the same thing that I've been saying for the last 45 minutes. Notice if you would, Proverbs, chapter 28 and verse 9. Proverbs 28:9. Here it is again. Note, if you would, what God says, Proverbs 28:9.
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"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." You know what an abomination is? It's a stench in God's nostrils. God says you turn away your ear from hearing, obeying my law, even your prayer will be a stench in my nostrils. What does God say? You don't hear me, I don't hear you. Whoa. Let me show it to you again, look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, chapter 7, right before the book of Malachi, Zechariah, chapter 7. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Zechariah 7:7.
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I want you to watch this. This is taught throughout the Scripture, Zechariah 7:7: "Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain? And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts:
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but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate." Did you see what he said in verse 13? "Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear."
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That's the lex talionis of Scripture. That is the law of retribution. That is perfect justice. God said to these people, "You will not hear me. I won't hear you." I want you to turn to two other passages, I do want you to look in Mark, chapter 4. Mark, chapter 4. This is a tremendous passage, I've got a brief series on this, but it is just absolutely astounding when you look at this, look in Mark, chapter 4, and I want you to begin reading with me in verse 23. Mark 4:23: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath." Now, go back to verse 24: "Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you."
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Now, wait a minute. You say, "Brother Weaver, I'm going to spend 15 minutes a day studying my Bible." Guess what? If you spend 15 minutes a day studying your Bible, you're going to get 15 minutes worth of truth. Whatever you measure, God said, "I'm going to measure it right back to you." You're not going to get two hours worth of truth for studying 15 minutes. You're not.
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Now, watch what he said after he said in verse 24: "And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given." What? Do you know why most people remain absolute babes in Christ and they never mature? And the answer is very simple, because they do not obey truth. Why should God give you any more truth if you're not going to obey what He's already given you? And then he says in the next verse, basically,
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if you don't use it, you lose it. And that's the simple truth, if you do not use God's truth, if you do not apply it, you forget it, you lose it. I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 1, because here's the thing, I want you to see this principle applies not only to the saints of God, but it also applies to sinners. You know, one of the greatest fallacies that exists in the minds of sinners is that they believe somehow that salvation is in their hands and they can be saved whenever they want to be saved.
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I've had people tell me, "Well, Brother Weaver, I'm going to get saved about 15 minutes before I die." Really? Really? You don't even know when you're going to die. And you may not have 15 minutes, and then the Scripture says, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near." He may not be able to be found or He may not be near when you start dying and you're in trouble. But let me just show you what the Scripture says.
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Notice if you would, Proverbs chapter 1, verse 22: "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof:" look what God says now, "behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." Here's what God says: "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity;
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I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel:
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they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." What did God say? "They will call unto me, but I will not answer. They will seek me early, but they will not find me." Let me tell you something. You're not ever saved in your time. You're only saved in God's time. And if God doesn't save you, you're not saved no matter how many professions you make. It's just that simple. If you refuse to hear God, God may justly and righteously refuse to hear you. You see, folks, it's not just hearing the preaching of the Word of God that counts. It's obeying it and applying it
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and making it practical in every day of your life. And the reason God does not answer most prayers is people refuse to hear Him. Even His children. How many of you parents will try to bless a disobedient, belligerent, arrogant, rebellious child? You won't. You'll let him eat the fruit of his own way. You'll let him learn the hard way. And oftentimes, that's what God does to us. If we refuse to hear Him, He may justly refuse to hear us.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:11:42Z

Why Doesn't God Answer All Prayers

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines why God does not answer most prayers, using the account of Josiah in 2 Kings 22. He argues that prayer is a duty and privilege, not a means to change God's will or satisfy lusts. Prerequisites for answered prayer include proper association (being a child of God), approach (through Christ alone), attitude (faith), asking (in Christ's name, not for selfish desires), apprehension (according to God's will as revealed in Scripture), and affection (love for God). The central reason most prayers go unanswered is the principle of lex talionis: because people refuse to hear and obey God's Word, God righteously refuses to hear their prayers. Josiah heard God (obeyed) and was heard; those who turn away from God's law find their prayers an abomination.

Introduction: The Question of Unanswered Prayer

Weaver introduces the topic by noting that many would pay to know why prayers go unanswered, and he sets the stage with the story of Josiah in 2 Kings 22.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 22:1-20

"Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem."

The Nature and Purpose of Prayer

Prayer is both a duty (commanded in Scripture) and a privilege (communion with the Father). It is not an attempt to change God's mind or merely get what we want, but to accomplish God's will.

Prerequisites for Answered Prayer

Scripture Reading — Matthew 7:9-11

"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

Scripture Reading — Matthew 7:9-11

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father do that as well?"

Scripture Reading — John 14:6

"No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 2:5

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

So, Hebrews 10:19:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 10:19-22

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:6

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

So there has to be a proper attitude. You have to come to God believing. That's why in Matthew 21:22, our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:22

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:22

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."

And John 16:26, He said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:22

"At that day ye shall ask in my name."

There has to be a proper asking.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:7

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"

Now, look what he says in verse 2:

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"Ye lust, and have not. ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not."

And then he says in verse 3:

Scripture Reading — James 4:1-3

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:12-15

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Now watch verse 14.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:1-2

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

The Story of Josiah and the Lost Law

Josiah was a righteous king, but the law had been lost in the temple. When found and read, Josiah tore his clothes in repentance and sent men to inquire of the Lord.

The Consultation of Huldah the Prophetess

Instead of consulting Jeremiah or Zephaniah, the high priest and scribe went to Huldah, revealing the depth of apostasy—those who should have known God's Word were ignorant.

Let me just quote it. Malachi 2:7:

Scripture Reading — Malachi 2:7

"For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts."

The Principle of Lex Talionis in Prayer

God told Josiah, 'Because you heard me, I heard you.' The negative is that if we refuse to hear (obey) God, He will not hear us. This is the law of retribution seen throughout Scripture.

Scriptural Evidence for the Principle

Passages like Hosea 4:6, Proverbs 28:9, Zechariah 7:13, and Proverbs 1:24-31 demonstrate that turning away from God's law results in God refusing to hear prayers.

Conclusion: Hearing Means Obeying

True hearing is obedience. God answers prayer when we hear and obey His Word; He withholds answers when we disregard it. The reason most prayers are not answered is that people refuse to hear God.

Why Doesn't God Answer All Prayers

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	121215053160
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The World And Times Of Jesse James
Genre	Sermon
Date	2015-12-10
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 10
Source Timed Segments	89

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question of Unanswered Prayer: Weaver introduces the topic by noting that many would pay to know why prayers go unanswered, and he sets the stage with the story of Josiah in 2 Kings 22.
The Nature and Purpose of Prayer: Prayer is both a duty (commanded in Scripture) and a privilege (communion with the Father). It is not an attempt to change God's mind or merely get what we want, but to accomplish God's will.
Prerequisites for Answered Prayer: Six prerequisites are outlined: proper association (being a child of God), proper approach (through Christ alone), proper attitude (faith), proper asking (in Christ's name, not for lusts), proper apprehension (according to God's will in Scripture), and proper affection (love for God).
The Story of Josiah and the Lost Law: Josiah was a righteous king, but the law had been lost in the temple. When found and read, Josiah tore his clothes in repentance and sent men to inquire of the Lord.
The Consultation of Huldah the Prophetess: Instead of consulting Jeremiah or Zephaniah, the high priest and scribe went to Huldah, revealing the depth of apostasy—those who should have known God's Word were ignorant.
The Principle of Lex Talionis in Prayer: God told Josiah, 'Because you heard me, I heard you.' The negative is that if we refuse to hear (obey) God, He will not hear us. This is the law of retribution seen throughout Scripture.
Scriptural Evidence for the Principle: Passages like Hosea 4:6, Proverbs 28:9, Zechariah 7:13, and Proverbs 1:24-31 demonstrate that turning away from God's law results in God refusing to hear prayers.
Conclusion: Hearing Means Obeying: True hearing is obedience. God answers prayer when we hear and obey His Word; He withholds answers when we disregard it. The reason most prayers are not answered is that people refuse to hear God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's Answer to Prayer Is Conditional on Our Hearing Him

The primary reason most prayers are not answered is that people do not hear (obey) God's Word. God's response mirrors our response to Him.

2 Kings 22:19: 'Because thine heart was tender... I also have heard thee.' The negative is that if you don't hear God, He won't hear you. Zechariah 7:13: 'As he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear.'

Obedience Is Synonymous with True Hearing

External hearing is insufficient; only when we obey God's Word have we truly heard it. Disobedience is a refusal to hear.

1 Samuel 15:22 equates obeying and hearkening. 'No one ever really hears the Word of God until he heeds the Word of God.'

Prayer Must Be According to God's Will, Not Selfish Desires

Asking amiss—to consume on lusts—results in unanswered prayer. Prayer must align with God's revealed will in Scripture.

James 4:3: 'Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.' 1 John 5:14: 'If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.'

Ignorance of God's Law Leads to Judgment and Unanswered Prayer

When God's people reject knowledge of His law, He rejects them and their prayers. This is seen in the apostasy of Josiah's day.

Hosea 4:6: 'Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.'

Faith Is Essential for Answered Prayer

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Doubt and wavering prevent receiving anything from the Lord.

Hebrews 11:6: 'Without faith it is impossible to please him.' James 1:6-7: 'Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.'

The Only Acceptable Approach to God Is Through Christ

Prayer must be offered in Jesus' name, acknowledging our own unworthiness and relying solely on His merit and mediation.

John 14:6: 'No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.' 1 Timothy 2:5: 'One mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.'

Scripture References

2 Kings 22:1-20: The entire chapter is read as the foundational text for the message, detailing Josiah's reign, the finding of the law, and the prophecy of Huldah.
1 Thessalonians 5:17: Cited to show that prayer is a commanded duty: 'Pray without ceasing.'
Luke 18:1: Cited alongside 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to emphasize that men ought always to pray and not faint.
Matthew 7:9-11: Used to illustrate the proper association of being God's child: a father gives good gifts to his children.
John 14:6: Quoted to establish that the only proper approach to God is through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:18: Cited to show that through Christ we have access by one Spirit to the Father.
1 Timothy 2:5: Used to affirm that there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 10:19-22: Read to contrast the Old Testament restriction with the boldness believers now have to enter the holiest through Christ's blood.
Hebrews 11:6: Quoted to show that faith is essential to please God and receive from Him.
James 1:5-7: Cited to warn against wavering in faith when asking God for wisdom.
Matthew 21:22: Quoted to support the need for believing prayer: 'All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.'
Mark 11:24: Cited alongside Matthew 21:22 to reinforce the necessity of faith in prayer.
John 14:13-14: Quoted to establish the proper asking: asking in Jesus' name so the Father may be glorified.
John 16:26: Cited to further emphasize asking in Jesus' name.
Matthew 6:7: Quoted to warn against vain repetitions in prayer, thinking to be heard for much speaking.
James 4:1-3: Read to show that asking amiss—to consume on lusts—results in unanswered prayer.
1 John 5:12-15: Read to teach that confidence in prayer comes from asking according to God's will, and that we know we have petitions if we ask according to His will.
Romans 8:26-27: Cited to show the Holy Spirit's intercession when we do not know what to pray for, making intercession according to God's will.
Colossians 3:1-2: Quoted to emphasize setting affection on things above as a prerequisite for prayer.
Malachi 2:7: Quoted to show the priest's responsibility to keep knowledge, contrasting with Hilkiah's ignorance.

Historical References

Josiah's reign (640–609 BC): Josiah became king at eight years old and reigned 31 years. He was a righteous king who walked in the ways of David, but the law had been lost in the temple.
Huldah the prophetess: A prophetess in Jerusalem during Josiah's reign, consulted by the high priest and scribe when the law was found. Her husband was keeper of the wardrobe.
Jeremiah the prophet: Jeremiah also prophesied during Josiah's reign and later lamented Josiah's death (2 Chronicles 35:25), but was not consulted in this instance.
Zephaniah the prophet: Zephaniah prophesied during Josiah's reign but was not consulted; possibly his ministry began later.
Ezra the scribe: Contrasted with Shaphan: Ezra was a ready scribe in the law of Moses (Ezra 7:6), while Shaphan was ignorant.
King Saul's disobedience (1 Samuel 15): Saul spared Agag and the best of the spoil, claiming obedience. Samuel rebuked him, saying to obey is better than sacrifice, and God rejected Saul as king.

Important Quotes

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.

This is the central verse of the message, showing the direct correlation between Josiah hearing (obeying) God and God hearing Josiah's prayer.

He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

This proverb succinctly states the principle that refusing to hear God's law makes one's prayer detestable to God.

Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts.

This verse from Zechariah explicitly articulates the lex talionis principle in prayer: God mirrors our response to Him.

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

This quote from Samuel's rebuke of Saul equates hearkening with obedience, showing that true hearing is doing.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

David's statement in Psalm 66:18 underscores that cherishing sin blocks prayer, reinforcing the need for a pure heart.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

James 4:3 explains that selfish motives in prayer lead to unanswered requests.

Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

Mark 4:24 teaches that the degree of our hearing and obedience determines the degree of spiritual blessing we receive.

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.

Proverbs 1:28 warns that persistent rejection of God's call can lead to a point where He refuses to answer.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the principle of lex talionis (God hearing us as we hear Him) challenge your current prayer life?

[Context]

The message centers on 2 Kings 22:19 and the idea that God's response to our prayers mirrors our response to His Word.

[Question]

In what ways might we be 'hearing' God's Word externally without truly obeying it?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between external audible hearing and internal spiritual hearing, using 1 Samuel 15:22 to equate hearkening with obedience.

[Question]

Which of the six prerequisites for answered prayer (association, approach, attitude, asking, apprehension, affection) do you find most challenging, and why?

[Context]

The prerequisites are outlined from Matthew 7, John 14, Hebrews 11, James 4, 1 John 5, and Colossians 3.

[Question]

How does the story of Josiah and the lost law illustrate the danger of neglecting God's Word in our own lives and churches?

[Context]

The law was lost in the temple, and even the religious leaders were ignorant, revealing deep apostasy.

[Question]

What does it practically mean to 'ask in Jesus' name,' and how does this guard against selfish praying?

[Context]

Weaver uses the bank check illustration to explain that asking in Jesus' name means relying on His merit, not our own, and James 4:3 warns against asking amiss.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a 'proper apprehension' of God's will in prayer, especially when we are uncertain about specific situations?

[Context]

1 John 5:14-15 and Romans 8:26-27 are discussed, emphasizing prayer according to Scripture and the Spirit's intercession.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to assume we can delay obedience or repentance until a later time?

[Context]

Proverbs 1:24-31 warns that persistent refusal to hear God can result in Him refusing to answer when calamity comes.

[Question]

How does the measure we use in hearing God's Word affect our spiritual growth and prayer life?

[Context]

Mark 4:24 teaches that the measure we give (time, attention, obedience) determines what we receive from God.

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