Facebook has recently announced it wants to use its platform to hear the prayers of its members. Isn’t this just another marketing tool for them to make even more money on the data they collect? They say it will be a “tremendous tool to spread the Gospel of Christ.” Do they even know what that is or care? An “I prayed” button will be available for their faithful to chalk up numbers and algorithms. Prayer requests are already rolling in. One asks to pray for a job interview to go well.
Will Facebook hear this prayer? Apparently and they share it with all their readers to hear also. But is this the kind of prayer God will hear? NO! Not at all.
The word ‘pray’ or ‘prayer’ means ‘to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc. to God or an object of worship…’ An ‘object’ of worship is nothing more than a lifeless idol or image with eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear made by the hands of man. But what about God?
Jeremiah proclaimed the Word of the LORD
“Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet they did not hearken unto Me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
Therefore you shall speak all these words to them; but they will not hearken to you: you shall also call to them; but they will not answer you.
You shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God, nor receives correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.’”
Jeremiah 7:25-28
Isaiah also prophesied…
“They shall be ashamed and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols… But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: you shall not be ashamed nor confounded… Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto a god that cannot save… Look unto Me and be saved, all at the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else.”
Isaiah 45:16-22
“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they do not hear: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither do they speak through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusts in them.”
Psalms 115:4-8
David testified…
“Come, you children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the reverence of the LORD… Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile/deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The Righteous cry and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the Righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all… Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the Righteous shall be desolate. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate.”
Psalms 34:11-22
The LORD God of Israel hears their cries
“The LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters/oppressors; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians/oppressors, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey… Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.”
“He that sacrifices unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed… You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way and they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry; And My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.”
Exodus 3:7-9; 22:20-24
Deuteronomy 7:15, 18
Jesus taught how to pray to the Father
Jesus gave us very specific instructions on how to pray and how NOT to pray. Praying to idols, Facebook, Google and/or online prayer requests are not in line with what he said. But would, in fact, be anti/against what he said. ‘Don’t pray as the hypocrites and heathen.’
Woe unto the Hypocrites
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23, Jesus rails on the wicked priests as being hypocrites and blind guides. They feed themselves of the flock but they don’t feed the flock.
“…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees/Chief Priests, hypocrites! for you take tithe of mint and anise and cumin, but have omitted the weightier matters of the Law; judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. You blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel…”
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees/Chief Priests, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchers/whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so also outwardly you appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
Jesus Christ – Matthew 23:23-24, 27-28
Blind Leaders of the Blind
“You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people draw near unto Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.'” (Isaiah 29:13)
And he called the multitude, and said to them, Hear, and understand:
‘Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of their mouth, this defiles a man.’Then his disciples came and said to him, ‘Did you know that the Pharisees/Chief Priests were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered, ‘Every plant, which my heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone/get away from them: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
Jesus Christ – Matthew 15:7-14
When you pray, Pray like this:
“…When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the assemblies and on the street corners that they may be seen of men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you pray, enter into your closet/inner chamber, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret/private; and your Father which sees in secret/private shall reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Therefore, don’t you be like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him. After this manner therefore you shall pray:
‘My Father which is in heaven, Hallowed/Holy is Your Name.
Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil:
For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Jesus Christ – Matthew 6:5-15
The Spirit upon Jesus
Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. When he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the LORD…
He closed the book, gave it back to the minister, and sat down. The eyes of all them that were in the congregation were fastened on him. And he said to them, ‘This day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.’”
Jesus Christ – Luke 4:16-21
The Spirit is upon the Anointed
“The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the Acceptable Year of the Lord, and the Day of Vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn…”
Isaiah 61:1-2
This day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.
The Word of God Stands Forever
If you want your prayers to be heard of God, you must pray to Him privately. If you want Him to hear you, then you must hear Him and follow His instructions. The gods of Google and Facebook are listening but they are not gods at all, only worthless objects made by the hands of men. Nothing made by the hands of man shall stand before the LORD God! But His Word stands forever!
“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. So take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, so that day comes upon you in unawareness. For as a snare it shall come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Adam… And all the people came to him early in the morning for to hear him.”
Jesus Christ – Luke 21:33-38