Does God Hear the Prayer of Sinners?
After Jesus' death, there are two notable
examples of people who prayed to God who had not yet
been forgiven of their sins. The first example
is that of Saul, who was later called Paul.
The Story of Saul:
Saul Persecutes the
Church
Saul was a Jew (an Israelite) but at first did
not accept the teachings of Jesus. Saul went
throughout the land under the direction of the
Jewish leaders persecuting Christians. Saul
was there when Stephen (a follower of Christ) was
put to death:
 And
Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to
death. And on that day a great persecution arose
against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all
scattered throughout the regions of Judea and
Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And some
devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation
over him. 3 But Saul began ravaging the
church, entering house after house; and dragging off
men and women, he would put them in prison. Acts
8:1-3 (NAS)
The following scriptures talk about how Jesus
appeared to Saul and how Saul received the
forgiveness of sins:
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Saul's
Conversion to Christianity |
Luke's
Account in Acts 9:1-20
|
Paul's
Account in Acts 22:4-16
|
The Road to
Damascus:
Now Saul, still
breathing threats and murder against the
disciples of the Lord, went to the high
priest, 2 and asked for letters
from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so
that if he found any belonging to the Way,
both men and women, he might bring them
bound to Jerusalem.
3 And it
came about that as he journeyed, he was
approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light
from heaven flashed around him; 4
and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice
saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting Me?" 5 And he said,
"Who art Thou, Lord?" And He said, "I am
Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6
but rise, and enter the city, and it shall
be told you what you must do." 7
And the men who traveled with him stood
speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no
one. 8 And Saul got up from the
ground, and though his eyes were open, he
could see nothing; and leading him by the
hand, they brought him into Damascus. |
The Road to
Damascus:
"And I persecuted this
Way to the death, binding and putting both
men and women into prisons, 5 as
also the high priest and all the Council of
the elders can testify. From them I also
received letters to the brethren, and
started off for Damascus in order to bring
even those who were there to Jerusalem as
prisoners to be punished.
6 "And it
came about that as I was on my way,
approaching Damascus about noontime, a very
bright light suddenly flashed from heaven
all around me, 7 and I fell to
the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'
8 "And I answered, 'Who art Thou,
Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the
Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.' 9
"And those who were with me beheld the
light, to be sure, but did not understand
the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
10 "And I said, 'What shall I do,
Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and
go on into Damascus; and there you will be
told of all that has been appointed for you
to do.' 11 "But since I could not
see because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by the hand by those who were with
me, and came into Damascus. |
Saul Fasts for
Three Days and Prays. God sends
Ananias:
9 And he
was three days without sight, and neither
ate nor drank. 10 Now there
was a certain disciple at Damascus, named
Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a
vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Behold,
here am I, Lord." 11 And the Lord
said to him, "Arise and go to the street
called Straight, and inquire at the house of
Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for
behold, he is praying, 12
and he has seen in a vision a man named
Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so
that he might regain his sight." 13
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard
from many about this man, how much harm he
did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; 14
and here he has authority from the chief
priests to bind all who call upon Thy name."
15 But the Lord said to him, "Go,
for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to
bear My name before the Gentiles and kings
and the sons of Israel; 16 for I
will show him how much he must suffer for My
name's sake."
|
God sends Ananias:
12 "And a
certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the
standard of the Law, and well spoken of by
all the Jews who lived there, 13
came to me, |
Saul's Sins are
Forgiven and He is Healed:
17 And
Ananias departed and entered the house, and
after laying his hands on him said, "Brother
Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on
the road by which you were coming, has sent
me so that you may regain your sight, and be
filled with the Holy Spirit." 18
And immediately there fell from his eyes
something like scales, and he regained his
sight, and he arose and was baptized;
19 and he took food and was
strengthened. Now for several days he was
with the disciples who were at Damascus,
20 and immediately he began to
proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying,
"He is the Son of God." Acts 9:1-20 (NAS)
|
Saul's Sins are
Forgiven and He is Healed:
13b and
standing near said to me, 'Brother Saul,
receive your sight!' And at that very time I
looked up at him. 14 "And he
said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed
you to know His will, and to see the
Righteous One, and to hear an utterance from
His mouth. 15 'For you will be a
witness for Him to all men of what you have
seen and heard. 16 'And now why
do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and
wash away your sins, calling on His name.'
Acts 22:4-16 (NAS)
|
Question:
According to Acts 9:11, the
Lord told Ananias to go visit Saul (the one that had
been persecuting the church) for Saul had been doing
what? |
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