Monday, January 31 – Luke 12:10

Will God still listen to your prayer if you were blasphemous during the prayer?

And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

Many of us have grown up in homes where we were taught to say “Yes ma’am” or “Yes sir” to our parents (and other adults). You may have even gotten in trouble at times for forgetting that last important title, prompting the following exchange with one of your parents: “Yes.” “Yes what?” “Yes sir.” There’s no magic in adding the title “ma’am” or “sir” when talking with someone, but the titles signify respect and recognition of someone else’s authority over your own.

If human respect is this important to us, it should not surprise us that the way we approach God in prayer matters too. Blasphemy, put simply, is to vilify, defame, or speak evil.[1] Whether we are angry with God because of our situation or pleading with Him to act in an urgent matter, we must check our attitude as we approach Him. He is God—worthy of praise, honor, and glory no matter what we are going through. God’s holiness is a serious matter. Just look at the Old Testament (2 Samuel 6:1-7, Exodus 33:18-23, Leviticus 16:1-34). Throughout the Old Testament, we see not only the consequences for irreverence of God’s holiness, but we see the great value in fearing the Lord—having great awe and respect for Him. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

When we come to God in prayer, is this your approach? Do you come before Him in reverence before you list your requests? Do you recognize God’s authority in all that you do? In prayer, we are to come freely to God with reverence for who He is: yesterday, today, and forever.

• What would it look like to exhibit fear of the Lord in prayer?
• Why do you think blasphemy is so offensive to God? Why is it something we should take seriously?
• Pray and worship God in reverence for who He is and all He has done throughout history and in your life specifically.

[1] “G987 – Blasphēmeō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV),” Blue Letter Bible, accessed January 13, 2022, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g987/kjv/tr/0-1/.