Do You Hear Me, God? Are You Listening?

God hears everything because He’s omniscient. 1 John 3:20 says for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. This does not mean God “listens” to everything though. Some things we think and say God may find to be flat out ridiculous, so He chooses to flat out ignore us (e.g., Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 1:15, Jeremiah 14:10-12, Matthew 6:5). Perhaps you’ve said to a child, “You may be hearing what I’m saying, but you’re not listening to me.” Hearing and listening have different meanings. Listening requires a response.

You can pray to God, and He will hear your prayer; however, He may not listen to it. His answer could very well be complete silence. In fact, if you are living your life however you like, you shouldn’t expect God to answer your prayers in a way that pleases you. Why should anyone expect any answers from God if they don’t believe He exists and if they choose to live however they want? All people need to first and foremost repent of their sins and place their faith in Christ.

If you are living a life following Christ, you still can’t expect God to always answer your prayers in a way that pleases you. We are sinful creatures with sinful desires. Sometimes our prayers can be downright unbiblical. I’ve been guilty of being more concerned about what others are thinking about my prayers than about truly praising and thanking God during my prayers. Nice, Wick. Despite my flawed prayers, God is gracious and merciful (Psalm 86:15).

God is so good yet He is also wonderfully mysterious. We often can’t comprehend God. The Prophet Isaiah reminds us, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9) God's ways are also perfect therefore we know He answers our prayers perfectly all the time. Psalm 145:17 tells us how the Lord is righteous in all His ways. We can trust God whether He answers our prayers with a yes, no, or wait.

Are you trusting in God with all your heart or are you leaning on your own understanding? Have you submitted to the Son of Man in all your ways? Only God can make your paths straight. Submit to the all-knowing King of the Universe who answers all prayers perfectly.

“I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” Isaiah 42:8