He couldn’t possibly have time to care about what we’re saying! Sometimes we feel like it’s not worth praying, because God never answers. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here are three truths about prayer that will reassure you that prayer is worthwhile. God listens! God is always listening to his children. How do I know this? That’s what the Bible promises.
Here are some verses that tell us this:
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ - Jeremiah 33:3
In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears. - Psalm 18:6Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. - James 5:16
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. - 1 John 5:14
So, if God promises to answer our prayers, how do we know He will keep that promise? The answer is that throughout the Bible, God consistently keeps his promises. He promised that the Israelites would enter Canaan and make their home there – and it happened. He promised that Abraham’s wife Sarah would have a son even though she was too old – and it happened. He promised to send Jesus – and He did. God has proved that He keeps His promises, so we can trust when we pray He will keep His promise to listen.
“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” - Psalm 17:6.
God answers prayer! However, we need to be careful to recognise that sometimes God’s answer is not what we wanted. Sometimes we might ask for something and God will say no, or wait. Sometimes we’ll pray consistently for something for years and it won’t happen.
In those moments, God isn’t ignoring our prayers. He is simply answering them in a way that aligns with His greater will for the world. Perhaps it isn’t part of His overall plan to say yes to our prayer. So when you pray, pray with confidence. God says He will listen, He always keeps His promises, and He answers prayer in a way that aligns with His will. Always.
God bless.
Stuart Tye
Chaplain