Q. Is there any other whose prayer God refuseth?—A. Yes; 'If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me' (Psa 66:18).[18]
Q. Is the regarding of sin in our heart such a deadly hinderance to prayer?—A. 'Son of man,' saith God, 'these men have set up their idols in their heart, and have put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face; should I be enquired of at all by them? I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb. And I will cut him off from the midst of my people' (Eze 14:3,8).
Q. Whose prayers be they that God will hear?—A. The prayers of the poor and needy (Psa 34:6; Isa 41:17).
Q. What do you mean by the poor?—A. Such as have poverty in spirit
(Matt 5:3).
Q. Who are they that are poor in spirit?—A. They that are sensible of the want and necessity of all those things of God, that prepare a man to the kingdom of heaven.
Q. What things are they?—A. Faith, hope, love, joy, peace, a new heart, the Holy Ghost, sanctification. See James 2:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; Ezekiel 36:26,27.
Q. What do you mean by the needy?—A. Those whose souls long and cannot be satisfied without the enjoyment of these blessed things (Psa 63:1, 119:20).
Q. Will God hear the prayers of such?—A. Yes; 'For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness' (Psa 107:9).
Q. How shall I know that I am one of those to whom God will give these things?—A. If thou seest a beauty in them beyond the beauty of all other things (Psa 110:3).
Q. How else shall I know [that] he heareth me?—A. If thou desirest them for their beauty's sake (Psa 90:14,17).