Jesus' prayer was heard because of His reverence: How is your prayer life?

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. (Hebrews 5:7)



It's a powerful verse. In reading it this time, I became captivated with the word "because." Several Commenters explain the verse (but none fully exploring the because, I was sad to notice)-



Pulpit Commentary

Christ is in them regarded, not as executing his priestly office, but as being prepared and consecrated for it. For, although for himself Christ needed no atonement, yet the "prayers and supplications" were offered in his own behalf, being due to his own entire participation in the conditions of humanity; the whole "agony and bloody sweat" were part of his own preparation and consecration for executing the office of a High Priest for others, and, like the Aaronic priest's offering for himself, they were the sign and evidence of his being one.

Barnes Notes

Such was his piety that the prayer was “heard,” though it was not literally answered. A prayer may be “heard” and yet not literally answered; it may be acceptable to God, though it may not consist with his arrangements to bestow the very blessing that is sought.

Matthew Henry Complete Commentary

He was heard in that he feared. He had an awful sense of the wrath of God, of the weight of sin. His human nature was ready to sink under the heavy load, and would have sunk, had he been quite forsaken in point of help and comfort from God but he was heard in this, he was supported under the agonies of death.

The Prosperity, Word/Faith, 'Declare It and It's Yours' crowd should heed Hebrews 5:7. Jesus was heard BECAUSE of His reverence. There is a cause here. We do well to pay attention to the 'little words'. I then think of the opposite: is a person not heard because of their irreverence? Is there a time or occasion that God does not listen to prayer? Yes, there are times God will not listen to or will even refuse to answer prayer. Just because a person 'speaks it' does not mean it will come to pass or even that God will listen.



So what are the times God will not listen? In general, God will not heed the prayers of an unbeliever. Here's more from Grace To You-



Does God answer the prayers of unbelievers?

God is sovereign and can choose to answer any prayer He sees fit. But Scripture clearly indicates that God does not listen to or answer every prayer. In fact, Scripture gives at least fifteen reasons for unanswered prayer. God does not answer the prayer of those:



1) Who have personal and selfish motives.



You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:3).



2) Who regard iniquity in their hearts.



If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18).



3) Who remain in sin.



But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:2). Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him (John 9:31).



4) Who offer unworthy service to God.



"You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised.' But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts. "But now will you not entreat God's favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts.



5) Who forsake God.



Thus says the Lord to this people: "Thus they have loved to wander; They have not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity now, And punish their sins." Then the Lord said to me, "Do not pray for this people, for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence (Jeremiah 14:10-12).



6) Who reject God's call.



Because I [Wisdom] have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke.... Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me (Proverbs 1:24-25, 28).



7) Who will not heed God's law.



One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination (Proverbs 28:9). "But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 7:11-13).



8) Who turn a deaf ear to the cry of the poor.



Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, Will also cry himself and not be heard. (Proverbs 21:13).



9) Who are violent.



When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood (Isaiah 1:15; see also 59:2-3).



10) Who worship idols.



Therefore thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble." (Jeremiah 11:11-14; see also Ezekiel 8:15-18).



11) Who have no faith.



But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-7).



12) Who are living in hypocrisy.



Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).



13) Who are proud of heart.



God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).



14) Who are self-righteous.



The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess." And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:11-14).



15) Who mistreat God's people.



You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them (Psalm 18:40-41). You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, And the flesh from their bones; Who also eat the flesh of My people, Flay their skin from them, Break their bones, And chop them in pieces, Like meat for the pot, Like flesh in the cauldron. Then they will cry to the Lord, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds (Micah 3:2-4).

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Does God hear the prayers of believers? Yes...but He has conditions for answering them. He is still a Father and we don't always pray along the lines of what is best for us. He is not bound to answer just because we speak it. We must pray according to His will.



First, we must pray and not doubt. (James 1:6).



James 4:3 was mentioned above, it goes for believers too: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”.



GotQuestions :

Pray for the things for which the Bible commands prayer. We are told to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44); for God to send missionaries (Luke 10:2); that we do not enter temptation (Matthew 26:41); for ministers of the Word (Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1); for government authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-3); for relief from affliction (James 5:13); and for the healing of fellow believers (James 5:16). Where God commands prayer, we can pray with confidence that we are praying according to His will.

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Pray privately (for the most part). Of course I'm not saying don't pray in church, or not to give thanks at a public meal, or not to pray at a public revival, or at an event such as National Day of prayer, but for the most part, God commands us to pray in our prayer closet. When we are at our most reverential, private, transparent, and quiet, we are praying by ourselves to God, before God, and through Jesus with no distractions.



Jesus was heard because of his reverence, AKA His fear. He wasn't afraid per se, but feared God because He knew who God is. I would dare to say that when one prays and does not doubt, that person's prayer is a mixture of confidence and reverence. If one does not doubt, one knows who God is, and what He is able to do; and if you know who God is, you're reverent toward Him.



The verse doesn't say "He was heard," but it says "He was heard because of His reverence." I like to pay attention to the 'little words' and I think on those a great deal.



I would consider it a gift from God for my prayers to be heard because of my reverence. Like the father exclaiming in Mark 9:24, "I believe, help my unbelief!", I say, 'I pray, but help my ridiculous prayer life!'



Dearest Holy Spirit, ignite my heart with a Godly fear, instill in me a reverence, a confidence, and an awareness of my sins, so that I might abide in Him. (John 15:7). Pray ceaselessly.