The Reassurance of Prayer
There is power in prayer. C.S Lewis famously said: “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m hopeless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time – waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me.”
This quote highlights the absolute importance of prayer and alludes to the fact that prayer should be constant in all seasons of one’s life. God is always willing to hear the prayers of those that have full faith in Him and who are true followers. We are given promises throughout the Bible which support this, one being 1 Peter 3:12:
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Constant communication through prayer with God creates a stronger personal relationship between Him and us. Through sincere prayer, we have the reassurance that God will listen to us, which will be spoken of further in correlation with Hebrews 4:16.
“Let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16
The verses preceding verse 16, namely 14 and 15, speak about Jesus being our High Priest in Heaven. He is the one who hears our prayers and who is able to empathize with us and understand what we as humans face because of sin. This aspect of empathy gives us the confidence to approach the Throne of Grace. It was through Jesus coming to Earth and die for our sins that God the Father demonstrated grace and mercy on a large scale to us as people. This displayed a caring and loving characteristic.
Throughout the Old and New Testament, there are verses that are there to remind us that God is always with us and in times of trouble because He cares for us. Stories have been given, such as Daniel being thrown into the Lions’ Den (Found in Daniel 6), to demonstrate this. We also have the assurance that God knows the plans for each of our lives, and through asking Him in prayer to guide us, we know that He knows what is best. However, when in the storm of uncertainty and sorrow, it can seem as though God is absent. Throughout the scriptures, we see many examples of people crying out to God to hear their plea in this state and see how God heard His people. This provides us with the example to cry out to God, even if we feel as though He is not with us. It is vital to maintain an attitude of faith in God, even if it is difficult because we know that He cares. Micah, a prophet, through difficult times kept believing that God would hear his prayers, Micah 7:7 reads:
“But as for me, I watch and hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”
The age-old hymn “Be Still My Soul” centers its message around how we should not worry as God will be with us and give us the strength to face the challenges in life, such as grief and pain. The following lyrics are an extract from the first verse:
“Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to God to order and provide; in every change, He faithful will remain”.
Through prayer, we are reassured that God hears each of us personally and we need to remind ourselves that we have a Heavenly High Priest that is fair, empathetic and has the best interest for each and every one of us.
Invitation:
As we complete this week, let us make an effort to connect more with God through prayer. Set dedicated times throughout the day to approach God’s throne with confidence and full faith to have the assurance that He hears our prayers and is there to be our guide and give us support. God loves each and every one of us.