God Hears the Prayers of Failing Believers

By Arthur J Licursi*

In the course of Abraham’s journeying south, Abimelech, king of Gerar, had taken Abraham’s wife, Sarah, as his own, but had done so innocently, not knowing she was Abraham’s wife.

Sarah was a beautiful woman and Abraham was afraid that Abimelech would kill him and take Sarah as a concubine. So Abraham said to Abimelech, “She is my sister.” Sarah was also fearful and vouched for Abraham’s lie, telling the king: “He is my brother.”

But to save the failing couple from the consequences of their own cowardice and sin, God came to king Abimelech in a dream, warning Abimelech that if he valued his own life he would immediately return Sarah to her rightful husband — and then God said something amazing to Abimelech, “and he (Abraham) shall pray (intercede) for thee, and thou shalt live” (Gen. 20:7).

Can this be true, that God would listen to the prayer of Abraham for Abimelech in the light of Abraham’s failure as a liar? Will God hear the interceding prayer of guilty Abraham praying for innocent Abimelech?

The answer is, yes!

This is because even while Abimelech was a pagan who served other gods, Abraham was a genuine believer; so even with all Abraham’s failure and sin, Abraham was still God’s child.

Abraham’s prayer would of course be a prayer of confession of his own sin and a plea that it might not be laid to the charge of innocent Abimelech… IT WAS ABRAHAM, not Abimelech, WHO HAD ACCESS TO GOD.

This is the case of every failing believer. Our Heavenly Father loves and hears our heart’s prayers. Every believer can rest assured that they can come boldly to the throne of grace regardless of their failures.

“LET US THEREFORE COME BOLDLY UNTO THE THRONE OF GRACE, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

This is an important lesson to learn.

Many unsaved people point to the failures of believers saying, “I wouldn’t be guilty of that. If he goes to heaven, then I certainly will get there.” But, such “good” non-believing people are still lost, while poor sinners who have trusted Christ for salvation are saved even when they have failed. This is only because they have been “made accepted in the Beloved One” (Eph.1:6).

This is a wonderful demonstration that our salvation and standing is by God’s grace through faith alone, certainly “not of works.”

“NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE, but ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5)

There is only one way to find acceptance with God; this is by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Our Lord said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).

“The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:35-36)

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

We should never permit our failures to come between our loving Father and us. We come not due to any merit of ours but by that which is by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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*This paper is an expansion upon a paper by Cornelius Stam