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Does God Really Hear Us?
By Grant Phillips
How often have we
talked to God, and
felt the intimacy of
His presence, and
then other times our
prayers seemed to
stop just short of
the ceiling? Even
though we may be a
child of the Most
High God, we are
still hampered by
the frailties of our
human tabernacle
while upon this
earth. When
communing with the
Heavenly Father, I
try to divorce fact
from fiction. God’s
dependability (fact)
does not depend on
my feelings
(fiction).
Feelings are fine,
but they should
never be used as an
iron-clad barometer
in our relationship
with God. God’s Word
should always trump
our opinion based on
our feelings.
So, when it seems my
prayers can’t get
past the ceiling, is
it true? Am I being
heard by Him? What’s
going on?
David said, “I
love the LORD,
because He hears my
voice and my
supplications.
Because He has
inclined His ear to
me, therefore I
shall call upon Him
as long as I live.”
(Psalms 116:1-2
NASB)
Solomon said, “The
LORD is far from the
wicked, but He hears
the prayer of the
righteous.”
(Proverbs 15:29
NASB)
John said, “This
is the confidence
which we have before
Him, that if we ask
anything according
to His will, He
hears us. And if we
know that He hears
us in whatever we
ask, we know that we
have the requests
which we have asked
from Him.” (1
John 5:15 NASB)
Jesus said, "I
knew that You always
hear Me; but because
of the people
standing around I
said it, so that
they may believe
that You sent Me."
(John 11:42 NASB)
So obviously, when
it feels like I’m
“not getting
through”, He is
listening. The
problem is on my
end, and that is
exactly how Satan
wants me to feel. So
what am I going to
believe … my
feelings or God’s
Word? And this is
where I separate
“fact” from
“fiction”.
Regardless of how I
feel, I must keep in
mind that He is
always listening.
Consider this event
from the Gospel of
Mark (beginning at
10:46):
Jesus was at a city
called Jericho with
His disciples, and a
very large crowd was
following them. As
He was leaving
Jericho, a man by
the name of
Bartimaeus was
sitting by the
roadside. Being
blind, he had to beg
for his sustenance.
As the crowd passed
by him, he realized
that Jesus was among
them. Apparently, he
had heard much about
Jesus, even that He
could heal the
blind. This was his
chance. So he yelled
out, “Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on
me!” Since many from
the crowd were
telling him to be
quiet, I’m thinking
Jesus must have been
talking to the crowd
as they walked, and
in order to hear
him, the crowd
wanted Bartimaeus to
shut up, but he kept
yelling, not just
once, but
continuously. Then
it says in Mark
10:49 (NASB), “And
Jesus stopped and
said, “Call him
here.” So they
called the blind
man, saying to him,
“Take courage, stand
up! He is calling
for you.” I want
to place the
emphasis on, “And
Jesus stopped”.
This old blind
beggar, who probably
wasn’t too important
to anyone in the
crowd, caused the
Son of God to stop
in His tracks. Jesus
heard someone call
His name. Jesus
immediately ceased
His conversation
with the crowd, and
probably even turned
in the direction of
the one calling for
Him. This scene in
my mind of Jesus
walking along, and
then suddenly coming
to a dead stop
because He heard
someone call out for
Him, has got to be
one of the greatest
assurances that God
hears, not just the
crowd, but the
individual who calls
out for Him. He
cares for you and me
as an individual
person. He knows us
by name. He knows
all about us.
Are you on the side
of the road of life?
There are a thousand
reasons you could be
sitting on the side
of the road,
helpless, and no
where to turn. Since
you happen to be
reading this, God
has evidently guided
you here for a
reason. He wants you
to know that you do
have somewhere to
turn. Jesus is
walking down the
street of your life.
He knows you’re
sitting on the side
of the road, and He
knows your need. He
is waiting for you
to call out for Him,
as did blind
Bartimaeus many
years ago.
Isn’t it amazing
that even among the
crowds, Jesus makes
it personal. He
heard the lone voice
of Bartimaeus call
His name, and
stopped what He was
doing, and listened
to what he had to
say.
You may think you’re
not important, and
to a snobby society,
you may not be. But
to God, you are
important, important
enough to listen
every time you call
His name.
Some may say, “I’ve
called out to Him,
and nothing has
changed.” Maybe now,
you just need to
listen. Is He going
to produce in our
lives everything we
ask for? No, no more
so than good parents
are going to fulfill
every wish of their
children. I will say
this. He will do
what is best for His
glory and for your
benefit. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are
the called according
to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:28)
I realize that this
article is wide open
for me to stray in
many directions, but
I want to stay with
this one thought,
i.e.; the important
point is to be aware
that Jesus will
always give you His
undivided attention.
I could pummel you
with verses to prove
the point, but all
you need do is read
for yourself. There
are multitudes of
verses in the Bible
that show that He is
always ready to
listen. Jesus
stopped dead in His
tracks, over the
confusion of the
crowd around Him, to
listen to a blind
beggar who called
out to Him. He will
stop and listen to
you also.
We live in a day
that people are
becoming more and
more self-centered.
We don’t have time
to listen to others.
We are soothed only
by the lull of our
own voice. We are
too busy pleasing
ourselves with our
own interests. We
are too enraptured
with ourselves.
Partly because of
this, many others
live lonely lives
even while the crowd
mingles around them.
Many of you know
exactly what I am
saying.
There is One though,
who would delight in
quiet conversation
just between the two
of you. His name is
Jesus. He stopped
and listened to
Bartimaeus. He will
stop and listen to
you too.
Grant Phillips
grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture
Commentary
http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
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