"But God has indeed heard me; he has listened to my prayer."
Today, let us reflect on: Our God who Answers our Prayers.
Psalms 145:18-19 tells us;
"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them."
Our God is not deaf to our calls. God hears us and answers our prayers.
In fact, sometimes we don't have to speak out loud what we want and yet our desires are still fulfilled. God hears the cries of our heart.
Now, he may not answer it in the exact way we may have had in mind, but he does answer.
The Psalmist remind us; "The Lord is near those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."
This means that if you sincerely call on God, he will come to you, he will hear you and he will answer you.
However, it doesn't say that he will answer you on your terms or in your timing.
For example if you pray for your perfect dream house today, even though God came near you and he heard you, it doesn't mean that your prayer will be answered today itself, neither does it mean that he will give you precisely what you've hoped for.
Not because he didn't hear you, but perhaps because it's not the right time, or maybe, you wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility that comes with your wish.
God tends to give one of three answer. Yes, not yet and no.
If he answers yes, then be glad; God has granted your request and you can handle it.
If God says, not yet, be glad; it means that he is preparing you and the place you are going to, for your arrival.
If he answers no, still be glad because God is protecting you from something you cannot handle.
None of God's answers are to hurt you or make things difficult for you. God is good and he's still good, even when we don't understand his intentions.
Let's look at some Biblical examples showing God's answers.
In 1 Samuel, Hannah, who was the wife of Elkana wanted a child. She prayed to God, she said,
"Lord Almighty, look at me, your servant! See my trouble and remember me! Don't forget me! If you give me a son, I promise that I will dedicate him to you for his whole life and that he will never have his hair cut."
This was Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 1:11
Soon after, Hannah concieved and gave birth to Samuel.
God answered Hannah's prayer with a yes!
Our second example comes from the book of, Genesis.
It isn't exactly a prayer but a man called Abram was talking to God.
In Genesis 15:2 and 3 he says;
"Sovereign Lord, what good will your reward do me, since I have no children?... You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property."
Of course, it was this very Abram who was renamed Abraham and it was only in their old age did Abraham and his wife Sarai, (who was renamed Sarah), have a son named Isaac.
There was even a point when he doubted God, he said;
"Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety?"
However, although it took some time, God kept his promise.
One might ask, why did God make them wait for a child? He could have allowed them to have a child in their young age, just like he answered Hannah's prayers.
I'm not exactly sure why, but I think that maybe he did it to prove to us that he can do anything. Or maybe, Issac had to be born at that time so he would be able to meet the love of his life; Rebecca. Or still yet, it may have been to test Abraham and Sarah's faith.
This is an example of a time when God's answer was wait.
Now, our third example comes from the book of Matthew.
Matthew 26:39;
"My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want."
This prayer was said by none other than Jesus, God's only son.
It was a prayer he had said in the garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested and taken to trial.
He was afraid of the suffering he had to endure during his crusifixion.
This is an example of a time when God's reply was no.
It's strange because one would think that God would say yes, particularly to his own son, but his reply was no.
Now, we're very grateful that he said no because if Jesus didn't die for us, we would have to pay for our own sins. God said no to his only son for our sake.
God always has a reason for giving us the answer he does but he always hears us and always has our best interest in mind.
I'm sure you could think of a few answers God may have given you in your life, no matter what the answers were, they were certainly for the best, even if you don't feel that it was.
I pray today that you will come to understand God's love and goodness and that your faith in him will reveal amazing things to you in your life.
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