To God's Ear

How many times have we stood by the water’s edge and simply tossed pebbles into the water?

Pebble after pebble after pebble we toss them in as far as our arm’s length and strength will allow. Once the pebbles hit the water’s surface they sink beyond our physical sight, but we know without a shadow of a doubt the pebbles will hit the bottom. We never see how it happens but we know it lands. If we practice, we can increase our strength and technique in tossing each pebble further and further. It does not matter if we toss the pebble near or far; as long as we do not give up in reaching the water, the pebble will make it in. Whether we have weak arm strength or the arm strength of a professional baseball pitcher, we know once our pebble hits the water, it truly is on its way to the ocean’s floor.

The faith we use in prayer works the same way. We pray daily recognizing who our sovereign God is, and we pray with a heart of thanksgiving. In addition, there are prayers for help, prayers for loved ones, prayers for big things, and even prayers for little things. As Christians, it is our joyful duty to always pray with a thankful heart as we live life aligned to scripture. We are to always pray genuinely from our hearts.

We do not physically see our prayers enter God’s ears, but if our faith is truly in the Lord, we know they do.

Scripture says,

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. — Psalm 145:18 NIV

To strengthen our prayers, we can use the model prayer Jesus provided for His Disciples:

And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples. And He said unto them, ‘When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. — Luke 11:1-4 KJV

Whether a person is new to the Christian faith with little experience in praying or a seasoned believer with many, many years of praying, a prayer prayed in truth and in the belief of Christ does reach the Lord.

Scripture:

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. — Luke 18:1 NIV

Excerpted with permission from When the Tide Is Low by April F. Cooper, copyright April F. Cooper.

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Your Turn

Sometimes our prayers can seem to hit the ceiling and fall back to the floor. But, Jesus Himself told us to keep praying. Don’t give up! God is listening! He cares and He acts on our behalf. Keep praying! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily