Prayer of the Righteous

Objectives

• Understand that God answers only the prayers of the righteous.
• Distinguish God’s righteousness from self-righteousness.
• Identify the lifestyle of faith that makes a believer righteous in God’s eyes.

Prayer & Righteousness

• Prayer: communion with God; its efficacy depends on righteousness.
• Righteous keep God’s law in their hearts (Psalm $37$:$30$–$31$).
• God hears the righteous, stays far from the wicked (Proverbs $15$:$29$).

Scriptural Examples

• Daniel prepares by studying Scripture, prays, and is answered immediately (Daniel $9$:$2$–$3$; $9$:$20$–$23$).
• Abiding in Christ and His word ensures answered prayer (John $15$:$7$).

Two Kinds of Righteousness (Romans $10$:$2$–$3$)

• Self-righteousness: human effort; filthy rags before God (Isaiah $64$:$6$).
• God’s righteousness: received through faith and obedience to His word ($1$ John $3$:$4$; Psalm $33$:$4$).

Unrighteous Prayer (Matthew $6$)

• Seeks human praise (v.$5$).
• Uses empty repetition (v.$7$).
• Driven by worry over material needs (vv.$28$–$32$).

Righteous Prayer

• Prioritises God’s kingdom & righteousness (Matthew $6$:$33$).
• Rooted in Scripture; requests align with God’s will (John $15$:$7$).
• Asks for wisdom to understand and apply the word (Solomon, $1$ Kings $3$:$7$–$10$).

How to Possess God’s Righteousness

• Internalise and obey Scripture.
• Submit to God’s standard by faith, not personal merit.
• Let every request reflect kingdom priorities and Scriptural truth.

Key Takeaways

• God answers only prayers offered from the position of His righteousness.
• Self-righteousness nullifies prayer; divine righteousness is obtained through faith and the word.
• Effective prayer = Scripture-based faith + kingdom focus + righteous life.