What To Do When God is Against Our Prayer

Psalms 80:4 KJV

O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

Here is very interesting language. The Psalmist says that God is against their prayers and not just against them. This has to mean that their prayers are not being answered. But given that it is God breathed the meaning goes beyond that. Our Lord would have us to know that it is possible for Him to withstand our prayers.

We like to say that there are three possible answers to a prayer;

• Yes
• No, or
• Wait

Here is a forth. It is possible for God to be adversarial to a prayer. It is possible that, further than "no", God is opposed to our prayer; we want something that God is opposed to our wanting. It seems to me that the appropriate way to respond would be to stop asking and stop wanting that which God is opposed to.

The Psalmist goes on to pray, "Turn us again". He did not ask God to turn. He asked God to turn them. When our very prayers are despicable to God what needs to happen is that we ask God to turn us, not that He answer our worldly, selfish and wicked prayers.