Have you ever thought about what a blessing it is that God hears the prayers of His children? Regarding the Lord’s attention to our prayers, Peter wrote,

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

1 Peter 3:12 NASB

Understand that it is the prayers of His children that God hears. We can only come into His presence in prayer through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our high priest who ushers us into a hearing with the Father (Hebrews 4:15-16). Because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we can approach God in prayer.

People who are not Christ followers do not have this access to the Father. Peter points to this fact when He mentions that God’s face is “against those who do evil.” The only prayer from someone who does not know Christ that God will hear is the prayer of repentance and faith to follow Jesus. One might argue that such a person’s heart has been changed already in order to pray that prayer.

It is a blessing to know that God not only hears our prayers, but acts on them. Even when we do not know what to pray, the Holy Spirit if groaning out prayers on our behalf (Romans 8:26-27). We can have assurance that God is working HIs will in our life, is praying on our behalf, and is attentive to our prayers.

Regarding the believer’s assurance in prayer, one Puritan wrote,

We can have full assurance of obtaining all things necessary for our warfare. In our prayers, we should in no way doubt our being heard, for God is pleased to hear our prayers, who has commanded us to pray, and has promised to hear us and save us forever.

John Bradford

If you are a Christ follower, you can have such assurance in prayer. When you pray God hears your prayers.

If you are not a Christ follower, you do not have that access to the Father. He wants that for your life. If you want to know more about how you can follow Christ, message me.

Blessings!

(Click here for more posts from Tim McKnight.)