Are You Thankful that HE Hears?
In our family, we are blessed with many men; two men are biological brothers and three men are sons, given to the family through marriage. Blessed, yes. My two brothers by blood have good hearing, but the other three men inside the family are plagued with poor hearing. The sisters (three of us married to the men who cannot hear well) find it humorous and frustrating that our three men cannot hear well unless:
- We are facing the men while we are speaking to them. OR
- They are wearing the tiny devices inside their ears, technology of a hearing aid, that helps them hear with clarity.
As we think about our prayer lives and the way we approach our Lord, we can be so thankful—
GOD ALWAYS HEARS OUR PRAYERS!
We know this to be true, for the Bible assures us within so many places.
When God sent His Son Jesus to earth, he often stayed at the home of Lazarus with his two sisters Mary and Martha. However, Lazarus became sick and passed away, and Jesus returned to the home of Lazarus in Bethany four days later. When Jesus arrived, the Jews who had been present for the funeral began to grumble and speak against the tardiness of Jesus in coming to the aid of His friend Lazarus.
“But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man,
(The Gospel According to John 11: 37 NASB)
have kept this man also from dying?”
- Is that not just like us when our prayers seem to remain unanswered?
- Don’t we grumble to the Lord, saying: “Lord, could you not come to my aid a little sooner when I prayed?
- Why have you not answered my prayer?”
If we have attended church, then we know how Jesus used this opportunity to reveal a deep spiritual truth about His resurrection from the dead and about our spiritual resurrection through Him. Additionally, through this passage, we see the deep truth about our prayer.
“Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”
(The Gospel According to John 11: 39-42 NASB)
Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him,
“Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said,
“Father,
I thank You that You have heard Me.
I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it,
so that they may believe that You sent Me.”
To the many standing near the tomb of Lazarus, surely, they thought this whole scene was just crazy. They knew the time Lazarus had died, and they knew there was no way he could walk out of the tomb alone. Yet, the Scripture reveals how Lazarus did obey the command of Jesus and did come forth from the tomb when Jesus “cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” (The Gospel According to John 11: 43b NASB)
As we consider this scene, we ask ourselves:
- Are we praying, knowing God hears and answers our prayers?
- Do we hear the words of Jesus as He prayed for our ears, hearing Jesus thank the Father that He heard His prayer?
- Are we thankful God hears our prayer, just as He heard the prayer of His Son, Jesus?
- Are You & I Thankful that HE Hears?
- Are You & I Thankful that He Answers?
- Are We Praising Him for hearing our prayers—even before He does answer as God has promised in His Word?
Jesus demonstrated so much that day when He came to His friend’s tomb. He comes to our aid every time we lift our voices and pray. Whether we stand in front of Him, kneel down beside our beds, lay face-down on the ground, sit beside our Lord, resting on our chair, or lay in our beds praying under the cover of dark night, God Always Hears our Prayers!
Yes, God Always Faithfully Hears and Answers our Prayers!
In the Old Testament, the psalmist wrote, reminding us of God’s love. Thanks be to God, for hearing, for ALWAYS HEARING.
“Come and hear, all who fear God,
(The Psalms 66: 16-20 NASB)
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
But certainly God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer.
Nor His lovingkindness from me.”