August 27, 2016 God Hears Everyone’s Prayers Author Unknown
We all pray to the same God. I have heard many people say that to me, but I am not sure what they mean. Yes YHWH God (the God of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible) is omniscient and all hearing, which means He hears all the secret things of our hearts, both spoken and unspoken. Prayers yes, but also cursing, slander, screaming, gossip, hateful things we say about those around us, as well. In that respect He does hear all our prayers. The question is not who is doing the speaking and the hearing, but rather who is doing the listening? YHWH God is hearing your prayers, but is He listening to them with loving concern?
Who is your God? Actually, the correct question is who or what is your god? The Bible makes a clear distinction between those who are sincerely praying to God and those who are just giving Him lip service. Let’s look at some of what Jesus had to say on the subject: “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:5-8).
“’Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me,‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Jesus also told this parable to some who were confident in their own righteousness: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!’ I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles him-self will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14).
God (Jesus) heard the prayers of the hypocrites and the Pharisee, but He wasn’t listening to them. Jesus also points out that the one we are praying to is the one we are listening to. The following passage in John points out that not only were these people not praying to Him, but they were not listening to Him either.
“Jesus replied, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me. Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching. You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God’” (John 8:42-47).
Paul, in I Corinthians, and James go on to explain the kind of people God listens to: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1st Corinthians 13:1). Paul is basically saying here that if you don’t truly love YHWH (the God of the Bible) and your fellow man, your prayers sound like a crew of men with jackhammers digging up the street.
James wrote “My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a doubleminded individual, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:2-8).
James points out in the previous passage that even believers, who are praying to YHWH God, must be doing it in faith if they expect results. He goes on to say that right motives are also important in getting our prayers answers.
“Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions” (James 4:1-3).
There is also a danger in pretending to be a believer and invoking the name of The Lord., as is illustrated by the following: “God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, ‘I sternly warn you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ (Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) But the evil spirit replied to them,’I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into submission. He prevailed against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded” (Acts 19:11-16)
God is not the genie in the lamp that you rub only when you need something, then put him back in the lamp until the next time. NO! We humbly approach the throne of Grace with our requests, asking in Love and reverent submission.
We DO NOT all pray to the same God. Who is the god you are praying to? Only YHWH (the God of the Bible) can listen to your prayers and answer them. He is anxious to hear from us and answer our prayers, because He loves us and wants only good things for us and from us. To The Glory Of God! (End of Transcription).
Steve
Stevelampman.com / Transforming Power; the Work of God on Behalf of man