He Really Hears!

John 14: 13 And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

My first experience with answered prayer happened when I was about four years old. I had been ill with bronchitis and was just recovering when we went to visit with my grandparents in the country. Church was some distance away and taxis and buses were not so easy to get in the heart of the Cockpit Mountains. As we walked home from church that Sabbath, my mother and I were amazed to see a heavy shower of rain approaching. As we watched it coming closer and closer we realized we would get a thorough soaking as there were no houses nearby. This could lead to pneumonia and – oh well, we didn’t even want to think about it.

Right then and there we decided to pray and ask God to intervene. We asked Him to save us from the rain, claiming His promise when He said, “Ask and it shall be given you”. What happened next amazes me even now. The rain came and fell all around us, leaving a dry space in the centre where we were standing! It was God’s rain and we were God’s children. No problem.

You see, God hears and answers prayers. He loves you and He has your best interest at heart. He likes when we pray to Him and ask Him for what we need. Not every prayer will be answered exactly how or when you want it to. That is because sometimes we ask for the wrong things or want them at the wrong time. Like a baby who wants to touch the fire, we sometimes can see no reason why God does not give us what we demand. However, like a wise parent, sometimes even when we cry like that baby He still knows it is best to say no. The secret is to just trust Him and know that He will do what is best for you. In the end you can be confident that if you ask for the right things, He will “give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Prove it for yourself. He really hears!

Dear Lord, teach me today to trust You and to know that You hear our prayers and keep your promises to your children, in Jesus’ name, amen.