Getting Through to God
Of course, God hears and knows everything. However, He listens to only certain things with the intent of answering. That is what the Bible means when it says God hears. He hears, and He acts upon what He hears us pray to Him.(Psalm 66:8,9)
God does not hear the prayer of an unbeliever, unless that person is turning to Him in repentance and faith. Some people might disagree with that statement, but think about it. Why would God want to answer the prayer of someone who doesn't trust Him? He would be catering to the whims of a person who is trying to get his way. That would be rewarding their unbelief.
Also, God doesn't hear believers who have unconfessed sin in their hearts. This is because sin hinders our relationship with God. He knows our hearts. If we are sinning without confessing our sins, we are ignoring the Holy Spirit, who is convicting us of our sin. Again, why would He reward someone who is ignoring Him? That would just lead us to sin more.
God does hear the sincere prayers of believers who are praying according to His will, and they are doing so from a clean heart. David knew that God had heard His prayers and answered them. We can know the same thing. In fact, God loves to answer prayer. It is a mystery to us. We don't know how it all works, but God does, and that is what counts. It is a privilege to pray and to have the God of the universe hear us and answer us. It shows His love and care for every human being.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 67-70.
God does not hear the prayer of an unbeliever, unless that person is turning to Him in repentance and faith. Some people might disagree with that statement, but think about it. Why would God want to answer the prayer of someone who doesn't trust Him? He would be catering to the whims of a person who is trying to get his way. That would be rewarding their unbelief.
Also, God doesn't hear believers who have unconfessed sin in their hearts. This is because sin hinders our relationship with God. He knows our hearts. If we are sinning without confessing our sins, we are ignoring the Holy Spirit, who is convicting us of our sin. Again, why would He reward someone who is ignoring Him? That would just lead us to sin more.
God does hear the sincere prayers of believers who are praying according to His will, and they are doing so from a clean heart. David knew that God had heard His prayers and answered them. We can know the same thing. In fact, God loves to answer prayer. It is a mystery to us. We don't know how it all works, but God does, and that is what counts. It is a privilege to pray and to have the God of the universe hear us and answer us. It shows His love and care for every human being.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 67-70.