The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God (Psalm 14:1). What a thundering statement. A genuine fool is one who declares out of the abundance of his heart that God does not exist. The verse goes on to show the outworking of such a heart, They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.
Warren Wiersbe in his Prayer, Praise and Promises says,
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10). When people don’t fear God, they have no wisdom, spiritually or otherwise. The fool says, “There is no God,” which is practical atheism. Most of the world today lives by the philosophy that says, “There may be a God, but I’m not going to think about Him.” God is not in their thoughts, and consequently, He is not in their lives.
The two words “there is” in verse 1 are in italics, which means they were added by the translators to help complete the meaning of the verse. We can read this: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘No God.'” The fool not only says that there is no God; he also says no to God. When we say no to God, we are telling Him that we know more about life than He does and that we have more authority than He has. We cut off ourselves from the blessing He wants to give us.
The most foolish thing you can do is leave God out of your life. If you do, you cut off your source of life and blessing. Don’t make the mistake of the fool. Turn to the Lord and submit to His authority.
Do you know when I am a fool? When I do not pray; when I do not live in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Pray with ceasing, and Psalm 55:17, Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. Every time I start my day without prayer; every time I face a situation without seeking God’s face; every time I give counsel without first asking God for wisdom; every time I preach without praying; every time I (fill-in-the-blank) without praying, I am a fool. I am saying, “God, I can handle this! It’s like Wiersbe said, “we are telling Him that we know more about life than He does and that we have more authority that He has.” And when I refuse to call on Him (Jeremiah 33:3), I am acting like a practical atheist.
I have never forgotten the first time I heard Ken Collier say, “Prayer is the declaration of my dependence upon God.” Wow! And then comes ringing the words of Jesus, . . . for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5). Do you want your works to be good, pure, and acceptable, then pray. If not, they are likely to be corrupt, abominable and bad . . . and we are a fool.
The praying believer says, “There is a God!” The fool says, “There is no God.” Look at your prayer life, your attitude toward prayer, and your passion for prayer. That will determine on which side of prayer and Psalm 14:1 we are living.
From A Pastor's Heart 