Pastoral Letter 13 Sep 2020

My dear readers,


The LORD Wants His Children Near Him

Proverbs 15:29: “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.”

The LORD God most high is transcendent. He dwells in the heavenly realm that only the holy ones are permitted to enter. No man can draw near to Him on his own merits since the fall of Adam that plunged all sinless humanity into sinful depravity and the safe earth into a menacing and destructive one. Sinful man is now separated from God by his sins and only God can take this irremovable wall of iniquity away. Thank God that He did in Christ. He did it the moment man fell into sin by preaching to fallen Adam the first gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” [Emphasis added]

He saves sinful man for His own glory. The ones He saves remain on earth to serve and witness for Him so that more can be saved. This is God’s will for fallen man. But the wicked will stand in their way to make it more difficult because they are doing the will of the god of this world, the devil. One of the best ways is to infiltrate into the sheepfold of God. They infiltrate into seminaries, Bible colleges, and churches to destroy the places and the service of God’s servants. To succeed they would become professing believers among the true believers. These tares look very much like the wheat in the field of God’s ministries. They cannot be found out until it is too late. The damage to God’s work would have already been done. These wicked ones pretend to be believers. They co-existed inside Israel as Israelites in the Old Testament times just as they co-exist today as members of local church congregations or teachers in seminaries and Bible colleges. Proverbs 15:29 is a stern warning to all. The LORD wants all to know that He can discern who they are.

The literal translation of Proverbs 15:29 is: “Far from the LORD are the wicked ones but the prayer of the righteous ones He shall hear.”

Who Cannot Draw Near to God? – The emphasis of the first line of Proverbs 15:29 is that the wicked ones are “far from the LORD.” This is not about distance but a zero relationship. This is not the same as God not hearing the prayers of a child of God who is struggling to get rid of his sins (cf. Ps 66:18). The words used in Proverbs 15:29 point to “no relationship” and not “no fellowship.” God has no relationship with a wicked person regardless of whether he serves in church or studies theology or evangelizes or does good Christian works. Who is “the wicked”?

  • He disobeys God’s Word – He disobeys God’s Word and feels nothing. He shows no remorse. He does not seek forgiveness. He has no desire to repent of his sins.
  • He lies and deceives with impunity – He is a habitual liar. Lying has been his way of life before his claim of salvation and continues to be his way of life after. His father the devil is the one he follows.
  • He kills – He kills people’s character by his half-truths. He is devious and uses kindness and goodness to mask his demonic destruction of God’s people’s lives.
  • He sows seeds of discord – Everywhere he goes he leaves behind a trail of broken relationships. When he is not around, there is peace and tranquillity. When he appears, best of friends can become the worst of enemies because of his evil influence.
  • He undermines the faith – The Word of God is merely a tool for him to creep into the church. He knows the Word of God like the devil knows the Word of God, but he does not tremble at the Word of God. He is numbed to the powerful influence of the Word of God.

The above are some of the characteristics of a wicked person. The LORD cannot be reached by such wicked people. Their prayers and worship are never received by the LORD.

Who Can Draw Near to God? – The only ones who can draw near to the LORD are the righteous ones. The only righteous ones are the children of God who are truly born again in Christ. Their lives are characterized by righteous deeds according to Holy Scriptures. Therefore, when the righteous pray, the LORD promises that He will definitely hear. The righteous have a clear and pure conscience when they approach their heavenly Father. They live righteously. The LORD sees their lives in Christ and is pleased with their holy witness for Christ. He delights in their prayers. Do not despise praying, dear child of God. Do not be reluctant to pray. Pray to your heavenly Father, for He is waiting for you day and night. There are no problems too small that He will show no interest. There are no problems too large that He is overwhelmed and is unable to help. He is the God in heaven above. All the kingdoms of the earth do His bidding. He is the great God almighty who is all-powerful. He is also your heavenly Father.

The believer must love to pray. He knows that the only way to live in holiness and not fail the LORD is to lean upon Him all his days. He will fail if he does not trust in the LORD to empower and help him. It is always a spiritual battle. He fights against principalities and powers in high places. He trusts in the LORD and not himself. Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Those who do not pray will trust in self, and not the LORD. They will not be able to live a holy and righteous life.

As children of God we ought not to live like the wicked. The wicked cannot approach God because the LORD has removed Himself far from them regardless of how they might try to draw near. But the children of God can draw near to Him. They need to live righteously as they have been made righteous by God in Christ. Righteous prayer, prayed by the righteous ones, will always be heard by the Righteous God. Do not stop praying.

Food for Thought -- 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.” Your heavenly Father is waiting!



Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service,

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew
Advisory Pastor


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