Thanks for stopping by! This is Day 30 of my 2015 “31 Days Reflecting on God” series. Find the rest over here.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me. Psalm 86:6-7I love the Lord
because he heard my plea for mercy,
and listened to me.
As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. Psalm 116:1-2
There’s something special about a friend who always listens to you. No matter what’s going on, if they can pick up the phone when you call, they will. They really get you.
But no matter how good of a friend any person is, they are still human. We can have the best intentions to be there for each other and still fail sometimes. We’re held back by limits of time, space and energy.
But not our limitless God. He sees everything. He knows every thought in every human heart. He understands every individual need because he created every person, inside and out. So when he bends down to listen to us, it’s something special. When he says, “I understand,” he means it more than we know.
We know God listens because he answers. Sometimes he provides a way out of our difficulty. In the early days of the church, Peter was thrown in jail for preaching in Jesus’ name and the believers spent the night pouring out their hearts to God. And God sent an angel who walked into the jail, freed Peter and brought him out into the dark street right under the guards’ watch.
Sometimes he provides inner peace and confidence in the middle of our prayers. In the Old Testament, a woman named Hannah struggled with infertility and would pray endlessly for a son. One day as she poured out her heart, God filled her with peace before he granted her request. Then, he answered her prayers and gave her the son she wanted.
It’s easy sometimes to feel as if our prayers don’t reach past the ceiling. It’s then that we can choose to remember when God has answered our other prayers. It’s then that we can choose to believe that he listens.
Regardless of our feelings, he has always listened to our prayers. We have never cried alone. Are we waiting in his presence? Listening for his words of comfort? Accepting the gift of peace and grace he gives when we beg for help? He’s listening – let’s keep sharing our hearts with him.