God Hears Us

"But truly God has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer." (Ps. 66:19)

Have you ever come away from your prayer time with the absolute sense you had stood on holy ground in the very presence of God? It is a special and a blessed time, and certainly the psalmist knew that on the occaision that he penned these words. For the Christian, God always hears our prayers. Sometimes He answers ""Yes", to what we have requested. Other times He says, "No". Then there are times that God says "Wait a while."

The reality is that God always listens to His children. For a believer, however, prayer is not a means of manipulating God to do whatever we want. He is not a heavenly santa claus that blesses us with gifts because we have been good little boys and girls. He is the Sovereign Holy God of creation and providence. Prayer is aligning our lives with His purpose so that we can do His will.

The basis of our prayers being answered is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He purchased the answers to our prayers when He purchased our salvation. We do not receive answers because we deserve them and merit some bonus. It is because God loves us and delights in answering our prayers.