March 29, 2024

He Heard My Prayer

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Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what He has done for me.
I cried out to Him with my mouth;
His praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld His love from me!

Psalm 66:16-20

Oh, what sweet words to hear—that He has not withheld His love from me! How many times, as mere humans, have we felt like we have done something totally unredeemable only to discover the God of the universe loves us unconditionally. All we have to do is repent, ask for forgiveness, and receive the blessings.

Maybe you have asked for a boyfriend, job promotion, your spouse to change or love you more. Maybe you have asked for your kids to love and respect you. Whatever your circumstances, our God is more than able to meet your needs. All you have to do is turn the attention to Him. He desires a relationship with you. When your friendship with God changes you may be surprised at how strong you feel and how your self-confidence increases.

As when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, His prayer was not answered in the way He wanted (Luke 22:39-46).  But Jesus knew His Father had a bigger plan. A plan that would effect the whole world. Talk about trusting! Most of us know how Jesus sufferd and died on the cross. He was alone, naked, beaten, and abandoned. But three days later, a miracle happened, Jesus rose from the dead! Every word He had spoken was fulfilled, every Scripture spoken about His birth, death, and resurrection was made true.

As you walk through your day, be aware of what you say, what you do, what your read, and what you watch. I have been trying to be more conscious of this as well and sometimes I fail. The Holy Spirit is working on me to turn away from things that would distract and keep me from a closer walk with our Father.  I pray that God will be patient with me, not give up on me, and keep searching Him out.  How about you?

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Father, thank You that you hear and answer our prayers. Thank you for the opportunities You have given us and forgive us for the ones missed. I so want to love you the way Jesus did! Please put people in my life, path, and areas of influence who will push me, stretch me, and grow me for Your Kingdom’s sake. Help me to see where others need Your touch and let me let go of me and focus on You. I love You, Father!  Amen!

Pray to the Father

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You will call to Me and come and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12

 Do you ever feel alone? Do you ever feel like you have more on your list than you can handle? Do you ever feel like there is no hope? Do you look for a miracle; perhaps you receive it or you do not receive it? Do you ask for something only not to get it? I think that everybody can answer yes to these questions—at some point in their lives.

Yet, many people rely on the outside world to find answers to these questions. However, the world itself cannot truly fulfill the answers to these questions/feelings. We must call on the highest power—the power of God—to answer these questions. He does not leave us. He will be there for us and help us when we feel like we have too much to handle. God brings us hope, love, and peace. He gives us the miracle we need (not what we may think we need).

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

 Prayer is our way of talking to God. We should pray daily. Through prayer we can talk to God about our problems and request help for situations that we cannot control. If we hold true to our faith in God, He will bring relief to us. He will show us mercy and listen to us. As His children, God always has our best interest at heart. We may not like how God answers our prayers, but He answers them in ways that are always for our good.

Our Father loves us dearly. He answers our prayers in the ways that He knows we need. We may want something very much, and pray for it, but if God knows that it is bad for us, He will answer us in a way that protects us. He answers our prayers in the ways that are best for us. He knows what will harm us, and as any father would do, He protects us from what is not good for us.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for looking out for us. Sometimes we do not know what is best for ourselves or our families. You do. Without You, we might make the wrong decisions and put ourselves in harm’s way. Continue to protect us and look out for us. In Jesus name, amen.