667_Prayer and obedience go together (Proverbs 28:9)
Proverbs 28:9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.
The young man down the street faithfully called his parents every week. He would ask how they were doing, and share bits of his life. It looked like a beautiful picture of connection. But there was one problem—he never listened to anything they said. Advice was ignored. Concerns were brushed aside. Instructions were forgotten. Those weekly calls were hollow. He was speaking, but not truly relating.
That story reflects how many think of prayer. We speak to God, we ask, we express our needs. But if we are not listening, if we are not willing to obey—then something essential is missing.
Proverbs 28:9 addresses this with clarity: “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”
How can God see prayer as an abomination, when it is an act of devotion? To understand this, we need to understand prayer, not as a ritual, but as part of a relationship.
Scripture connects prayer to life. It is not meant to be an emergency button we press only when things go wrong. It is the natural overflow of a heart that believes God and desires to walk with him. Fellowship with God is sustained not just by speaking to God, but by listening to Him, and responding in obedience.
When the proverb speaks of “turning away from hearing the law,” it is not talking about mere ignorance. In the context of Proverbs, “the law” refers to God’s instruction—His revelation of how he created the world to be. It reflects the wisdom and truth that underlie human life. Turning away goes deeper than not knowing. It speaks of a deliberate refusal. Such people choose not to listen, ignore what they already know is right, and decide to go their own way.
In Hebrew, as in many other languages, hearing and obeying are closely connected. To say you hear God is to claim to obey him. This is echoed in James 4:17: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” This comes from a settled posture of resistance—a heart that says, “I hear You, God, but I will not follow.”
And the proverb tells us that when someone lives in that kind of willful disobedience, their prayer becomes “an abomination.” That word is not used lightly in Scripture. It refers to something God hates, because it is opposite to truth and to love.
It is like saying to God, “I want Your help for you are greater than I,” while at the same time saying, “I don’t recognize Your authority though you are greater than I.” Imagine asking for His guidance while refusing His wisdom. That disconnect is what this proverb exposes.
It does not mean that God rejects people who are struggling. It does not mean we must be perfect before we pray. Throughout Scripture, we see God welcoming the broken, the repentant, and the humble. He listens to them, even in their weakness. But he does not respond to the insincere. These are those who refuse to align with God while expecting Him to respond to them.
When prayer becomes disconnected from obedience, it is not prayer but a self-centered list of demands. It is no longer about wanting God’s will to be done. It becomes focused on what we want rather than what God is working to accomplish in and through us, for our good and the good of the world.
The Lord addressed this directly in Matthew 6:31–33, saying, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
To seek God’s kingdom means to set our minds on him, to acknowledge with gratitude and humility His rule over our lives. It means rejoicing in the knowledge that he is in charge, aligning our choices with His will, and valuing what He values—justice, mercy, truth, and love. To seek His righteousness means to live in a way that is right before Him, both inwardly and outwardly. It involves a heart and life that is centered on responding to God, in all things, all the time.
God’s kingdom is revealed to us in our hearts when we drink deeply of God’s Word. For those who seek it, their desires are different from those around them. Their priorities change to doing what God tells them to do. Their prayers become means to know what God’s purposes are so that they can work them out here on earth.
Paul’s prayers rarely focus on changing circumstances. Instead, they focus on changing people. He prays that believers would know God more deeply, understand His will, grow in wisdom, and be strengthened in their inner being. He prays for love to abound, for lives to be holy, and for Christ to be fully formed within them.
These prayers flow out of a heart aligned with God’s kingdom. They are earnest longings for God’s rule to be reflected in the hearts and lives of his blood-cleansed people. They come from a heart rejoicing in the knowledge of God through his Son, Jesus Christ. They emerge from a redeemed life that is laid down as a perpetual offering of obedience to God’s will.
This is why Scripture often describes prayer as incense rising before God. In Psalm 141:2, David prays, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you.” And in Revelation 5:8 and 8:3–4, we see a picture of prayers ascending like fragrant incense before God’s throne.
When life is a living sacrifice of gratitude and faith, of implicit trust and obedience, to God our Savior, prayer rises as incense.
In Acts 6:4, the apostles said, “We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” They did not separate the two. They knew that the ministry of the word could only be fulfilled as they spoke and listened to God in prayer.
And so Proverbs 28:9 is not merely about prayer—it is about relationship. God is not impressed by religious routines. He hates words that are disconnected from sincerity. What He desires is sincerity, humility, and a heart that is willing to listen and obey.
Therefore, when we come to God in prayer, let us come with honesty and humility. Let us come with open ears. Let us come ready to bless, ready to give thanks because he is good, ready to worship because he is great, ready to obey him because he deserves our trust and obedience. Let us come ready to be corrected, ready to be guided. Let us not just ask God to bless our plans—let us ask Him to shape them.
When God’s Word reveals something in our lives that needs to change, we don’t need to ignore it. We need to respond, even with difficult obedience, even with hardship, even with sacrifice. Because obedience is not a burden—it is the reflection of a trusting heart that lives in fellowship with God.
Think of prayer as a vow of obedience. Such prayer allows your life to rise into the fulness of the stature of Christ. For when we take a step forward, not out of obligation, but out of love, we know what is is to be loved by him.
May we be people who not only speak to God, but also listen to Him. May we seek His kingdom above all else. And may our prayers and our obedience rise together from our hearts, like a sweet fragrance before Him. God bless.
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