Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; (Isaiah 58:9)
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. (Isaiah 1:15)
For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. (Isaiah 30:19)
The promises of Isaiah 58:9 are conditional on obedience to what God commands in the previous verses: loose the bands of wickedness… deal thy bread to the hungry and so on. These are personal promises of personal blessings for personal obedience to God's call for personal service. Although giving to charities can be a fulfilment of this command in some ways, the real fulfilment is in getting involved with needy people personally. I don't mean becoming a social worker. Just spending time with people who need that and giving practical assistance to people who need it. This can mean giving money, but it is more likely to mean losing income or spending money. We need this work if only for the promises that are conditional on it.
The reality is that God often does not answer prayer because he does not promise to listen to the selfish person. If I am not helping those in need but rather have their blood on my hands, then I cannot expect God to answer even my well-intentioned prayers.
But there is hope. God is kind and forgiving. Turn to him today, accept the way of life that he commands, and pray. God will answer every prayer of repentance from a heart that is truly sorry.
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