Does God Hear Our Prayers?
Does it seem that sometimes your prayers are going unanswered? You wonder if God is hearing you – or if He even cares. You repeat the same prayer night after night hoping for some change in your circumstance. Do you ever ask yourself, “does God hear our prayers”?
Even though we aren’t getting the answers we want, or getting anything at all, God still hears us. His answer may not be the answer we were looking for. It may simply be ‘no’. He may not answer at that time, but the answer comes later. Whatever the response, your questions are still being heard.
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.
Psalm 34:15 (ESV)
Years in the Making
I prayed for answers for almost five years. It took that long for things to happen. But, when I wondered why that took so long, the answer was revealed to me. I wasn’t ready when I first started praying. God knows what is best for us. Had I received the answer when I first started, I would have flat out rejected it. Because my heart and my mind were not where they needed to be.
I was still distrustful of pretty much everyone. I always saw the bad side of things, never even trying to understand why something occurred. God couldn’t use me in that state. I hadn’t grasped the concept of ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’.
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Mark 12:30-31 (ESV)
I know what it means now, and I’m a lot less judgmental (I’m not perfect so ‘a lot less’). When I see something negative occurring, I find that I now first tend to wonder what happened to cause the situation to escalate versus going to the ‘people are just evil and can’t be trusted’ mindset.
God Gets Us Ready
God guided me to places that helped me understand the Word, understand my fears and frustrations, and understand Him. He steered me to people that would eventually help me tear down some of my walls. He also allowed me to experience things that would later help me understand what other people are going through.
Once my heart and mind changed, I started to see those answers to my questions. I was finally ready and was able to act on it. The answers weren’t what I expected. Had I heard them before, I would have been upset and stubborn. But, when I got my answers, I trusted God and moved accordingly. My life and my daughter’s life were immediately enriched.
If you think God isn’t hearing you, He is. But, the answer may not be what you are expecting. God may be working on you, just as He was working on me. It may be that you just aren’t hearing Him. There may be something nagging at you that you think has nothing at all to do with your request. Take a look at that and see if that is God guiding you. If you’re praying for someone else, you must also consider whether that person is willing to receive God’s grace and help. He could be sending help that is being turned away.
Have Patience
In any case, be patient and keep on praying!
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (ESV)
Had I given up, I would not have seen and experienced what I have in the past few years. I would not be the person that I am right now. I would not be experiencing the peace that I have at this moment.
When trials come up now, I can face them. I know that I will conquer them because I have faith. I use it as a learning experience. I’ve learned how to offer grace to others because of the grace offered to me.
Have faith in the Lord. Listen to what He is trying to tell you. Be obedient when you hear His voice. He is answering you, it just may be in a different form that you expected (or wanted!).
My Prayer for Today
Lord, I thank you for opening my heart and my mind. Thank you for the path You’ve put me on. I pray that anyone reading this will understand my message. I pray they will have the patience and the faith to continue to seek your guidance and they will be obedient to Your response.
Amen