Written by: John Sernaque
Dear Reader,
Books / Pr - Prayer (2002) / Chapter 3—God Hears Prayer
God Hears the Prayer of the Humble—Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God’s heart of infinite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little and have so little faith? The angels love to bow before God; they love to be near Him. They regard communion with God as their highest joy; and yet the children of earth, who need so much the help that God only can give, seem satisfied to walk without the light of His Spirit, the companionship of His presence.—(Steps to Christ, 94.) {Pr 33.1}
Those who have a humble, trusting, contrite heart, God accepts, and hears their prayer; and when God helps, all obstacles will be overcome. How many men of great natural abilities and high scholarships have failed when placed in positions of responsibility, while those of feebler intellect, with less favorable surroundings, have been wonderfully successful. The secret was: The former trusted to themselves, while the latter united with Him who is wonderful in counsel and mighty in working to accomplish what He will.—( Testimonies for the Church 4:538, 539.) {Pr 33.2}
If you come to God with a sincere and contrite heart, He will hear your prayers. If you come to God holding on to known sins, your words will fall to the ground and your prayers will not be heard. Confess and repent of your sins and pray for forgiveness. God is always ready to forgive the repentant sinner and answer the sincere prayer of His children. God may not answer your prayer exactly as you would like, but in the way that is best for you. If you do not hear God’s voice, you may be going through a test. Just like the teacher in the classroom who does not speak during the test, God likewise is watching and helping as you pass through your trials. Make known all your wants to God, God is ready to give you more than you can imagine. What a mighty God we serve.
Dear God,
We come to You with humble, sincere, and contrite spirits. We are truly sorry, and humbly repent of all our sins. We pray that in Your goodness, compassion, mercy, and by Your grace, that You forgive us of our sins, the known and the unknown, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We thank and praise You for always being there for us to hear and answer our prayers. How You are always ready to bless us and help us in our time of need. What a privilege it is to drink from the fountain of living water, provided to us daily because of Your love for us. We are but helpless human beings without You, but when we commune with You, we can do all things through Christ, which strengthens us. What a blessing it is when we make known our wants in prayer, and You give us more than we can imagine. We pray that we may encourage others to pray more, and that You increase our faith. May we pray without ceasing and remain in constant communion with You. When pressed by our trials, help us to overcome and be more than just conquerors. May we unite with You, our mighty and wonderful counselor, in working to accomplish Your will for us in our life. May we hear Your voice, understand Your message to us, and follow Your voice wherever the Lamb leads. Help us to not trust in our own feelings or inclinations, rather lead us and guide us by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. May we abide in You and You in us. Help us to be ready and prepared, with our lamps trimmed and burning, when You come again to bring us home. May we honor and glorify Your name, and let not our will, but let Thy will be done. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
