Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from God; and your sin have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.” (Isaiah 59:1-3)
Within these words God lays bare the causes of unanswered prayer. Unanswered prayer mainly stems from a break in our relationship with God. God mentioned here the following sins that causes this brake: hands defiled with blood and fingers with iniquity… the matter though goes much deeper still. God points to lies being spoken against others. A lie includes an exaggeration, a half truth or a rumor. By not rectifying these, guilt remains and heaven remains as brass.
In God’s eyes lies and perverse things muttered about others are the same as murder. If one stretches out your hands to heaven in prayer, this guilt remains till it has been put right with fellow man and God and a person is being washed by Christ’s blood.