These past two weeks I have been away from Utah, first in Colorado to meet with the development team of the upcoming Internet Biblical Seminary e-learning platform, and then in Tennessee to stay with my uncle and then go to the Together For The Gospel conference in Louisville, Kentucky. I had the pleasure of hearing Dan Phillips of Pyromaniacs—visiting for the conference as well—preach at Calvary Community Church two times, once on the wisdom of God and then on the wisdom of man. It was super. Both sermons were largely based on Proverbs, and among the many passages he referenced, he referred to two passages that were relevant to prayer’s relationship with the pursuit of truth.

Proverbs 2:1-5
My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

Three simple observations:

• Understanding the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of the Lord pivots on whether our heart is inclined and our ears are attentive
• Receiving this knowledge is contingent upon whether we receive the words of God as a treasure in our hearts
• Our pursuit of truth should involve our calling out to God (praying!) for insight and understanding

The next passage, Proverbs 28:9, blew me away:

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.

If we pursue truth in the manner described by Proverbs 2, receiving the word of God as a treasure in our hearts, our prayers are considered precious and are gladly answered by God. If we turn our ears and heart from what God has already revealed, our prayer is an abomination to God.

Are your prayers an abomination before God? Be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, my friends!