Have you ever felt like the Lord doesn’t hear your prayers? I suspect, at one time or another, many may have felt that God did not hear their prayers.
Of course, God hears our prayers, I mean, after all, He is God, isn’t He?
The Lord will hear when I call to Him (Ps. 4:3b).
God hears everyone! To not hear someone’s prayer would mean God is unaware of their prayer. Because He is God, He is aware of everything.
How well does God know you? Think about this:
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand (Ps. 139:1-6 NLT)!
So, God knows our thoughts and He knows what we are going to say even before we say it!
You may ask, “He knows, but does He care?”
I can assure you He cares.
I and countless others could give a personal testimony and cite countless examples as evidence that He cares.
Some may say, “That’s just opinion! That’s all very subjective!”
Please allow me to refer you to God’s very own words through His Son:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
The fact that Almighty God loves and seeks to forgive us proves He cares. Because He cares, He doesn’t want anyone to perish, instead, He wants us to have a real and personal relationship with Him.
The Relationship Requirement
For any relationship to exist, there must be communication. Christ died and rose again to pay for our sin and establish a relationship with us with open lines of communication.
So, God hears our prayers, and He most certainly cares, but we must be forgiven to have a relationship with Him.
Good news! Everyone may be forgiven and have a relationship with God.
This is a bigger deal than any of us can appreciate.
It would be utter folly for fallen mortal man to attempt to have a relationship with the One True God had God not done the heavy lifting for us. He took the initiative. He paid the price for our sins with His blood on the cross.
Now, what will you do?
When we realize our unworthiness and recognize God’s holy perfection, we are forced to decide. Will we continue to live in a fantasy of our own making where we think we’re good enough to have a relationship with Him? Or will we confront the reality of our situation?
To accept the fact that Jesus is the majestic, holy King of Kings and Lord of Lords, means we will do the only reasonable thing, surrender! Anything less than surrender reveals we don’t believe.
As we surrender to the Lord, we will instinctively cry out for His mercy, turn from our ways, and trust Him to save us.
Lord, listen to your children praying!
Since only those who are forgiven can enjoy a relationship with God, then crying out to Him for forgiveness, is the first prayer we must pray. While God hears everything, it is the cry of His children to which He listens.
When I played baseball, it was great knowing Debbie, and our kids were in the crowd. Following every hit or good play at an exciting game, it is nice to hear the loud cheers of the crowd. But the voices of my beautiful wife and our children meant more to me than all the cheers. The crowds may have been loud, but my ears were attuned to the sound of the voices of my family. Every parent recognizes the sound of their children’s voices above all others.
Similarly, while the Lord is aware of everything, He is attuned to the voices of His children (John 10:27).
Do you have a real and personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?
It is this relationship that makes communication with God through prayer possible.
The first prayer God wants to hear from each of us is our prayer of surrender as we cry out and turn to Him for forgiveness.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Ro. 10:13).
I would love to help you begin or develop a stronger relationship with Christ.
It would also be a joy to help you and your church reignite your passion for Christ and the power of prayer.
For future generations,
Seven reasons I pray:
1. He told us to pray
2. I can pray
3. I want to pray
4. I need to pray
5. God hears my prayers
6. God answers my prayers
7. I grow closer to God when I pray