God Hears Our Prayers
From today’s Bible reading in Psalms we are affirmed that God hears our prayers: “I call to God and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice” (Ps 55:16-17). That God hears our prayers is one of the melodic lines of the Psalms and the whole Bible. David celebrates his long-awaited answered prayer in Psalm 40: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure” (Ps 40:1-2).
If you have God as your heavenly Father who loves you, be reminded that you have his attention and his care (Luke 11:5-13). If you have been praying for something or someone, but your prayer has not been answered yet, take heart, and persevere in your waiting and in your prayers (Luke 18:1-8). If your prayers are aligned to the will of God, be assured that your prayers will be answered: “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). In God’s perfect timing he will answer us: “… my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness” (Ps 69:13).
Yesterday we had a staff prayer retreat with Pastor Tim Kerr (whom I invited to be our guest speaker to our praise and prayer night in the fall). Though it was via ZOOM instead of at a retreat center, we were still refreshed. The Spirit was well and alive through the ministry of God’s word. As we learned about praying the promises of God, we were so reminded and encouraged to pray with faith to our God who keeps his promises and answers our prayers.
As we were ending our short time together, each of us chose a verse from the Bible, and we prayed with those verses together. I prayed with Isaiah 32:15 that says, “Until the Spirit is upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.” I prayed, “O God, I pray that you will pour your Spirit upon us. That those of us who are in the wilderness and feel dry in this season will become a fruitful field, bearing the fruit of the Spirit. And those of us who are thriving in this season will multiply their spiritual influence over many others and that we will become like a forest of fruitful trees as a church.”
This morning as I was praying with Isaiah 32:15 again, I was reminded of this year’s theme verse in Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” What God is promising and what we are praying with the promise in Isaiah 43:19 and Isaiah 32:15 is something so supernatural and so miraculous. How is it possible to have rivers in the desert? How can a dessert have fruit trees and eventually become a forest? It’s impossible with men, but it’s possible with God. And when something impossible happens, we will know that God did it and will give God all the glory. May we believe his word. And may we pray with his promises that he will bring about a great revival and renewal in our lives, in our families, and in our church.
Last Sunday during our live-stream corporate singing my wife had a vision of his dad singing praise to God with a loud voice. During his last months here on earth he was not able to speak, let alone sing, because of his illness. And there in the vision he was singing aloud—singing his heart out to his God and his Savior in heaven. Seeing her dad singing with such loud voice and passion, Natalie broke down with tears of joy and gratitude that his dad who could not speak is now healed of his illness and is able to sing to his God in heaven. It was God’s way of assuring and comforting her. When I heard about my wife’s supernatural experience, one of the first things that came to my mind was people (many of you) who have been praying for our family—especially for my wife and her dad. I thanked God for all our church families who showered us with care and prayers. The vision was one of God’s answers to many prayers for God’s comfort to my wife. Praise God and thank you for all your prayers.
I encourage you to pray and pray with God’s word. I invite you to believe in God and his promises. If you need prayers, please let me know; I will pray with you. I also encourage you to pray together with your families, with your friends and with your Life Group. I invite you to our next praise and prayer night (next Friday, May 15). I plan to share about praying the promises of God and spend a bulk of our time, praying together with God’s promises both in large groups and small groups. God hears our prayers. We are called to be house of prayer. Let’s pray. Let pray with faith. Let’s pray with God’s promises. Let’s pray with confidence in God who hears our prayers for his glory and our good.
