Does God Even Hear Me?
“I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.” Psalm 77:1-2
Are there days when you wonder if God is listening? You’ve been praying desperately and faithfully, yet nothing seems to change. Or maybe you’re convinced He’s stopped listening altogether, that He’s turned a deaf ear to your pleas. Maybe He’s tired of hearing from you. You pray, but it seems to go nowhere. You wait and wonder. You long for a sign, a response, a glimmer of hope. But everything is quiet.
When we desperately pray, we look for any sign, any movement, that will show us God hears us and is working. Yet that time of waiting can be dark and lonely. It can be disheartening to be looking for a response and not hearing anything. We get anxious. We get impatient. And we get frustrated with God. We don’t see things as He does, we can’t see His plan, and trusting grows more difficult as the wait stretches out before us. How long, Lord?
It is in those dark, silent times that the enemy begins to weave his lies. We hear things like, “God isn’t listening” and “God doesn’t really care.” We begin to believe the lies that God is too busy to attend to our prayers and that our needs are not important to Him. And if a lie is repeated often enough, it is believed, it is embraced, it becomes truth to us. The enemy will do whatever he can to pull our eyes away from God and fill us with regret, despair, and heartache. We begin to fall for the lies and we doubt God will answer.
That’s why, when we’re longing for answers and seeking responses from God, we must remind ourselves of what is true. God is faithful. God is Sovereign. God is merciful. God will work justice for the oppressed. There are so many reminders of our Almighty, Sovereign God and His attributes and His ways. There are so many examples of answered prayers we can point to. We need only begin to read the Psalms to see all that He is and does.
Psalm 77 is a beautiful and powerful account of someone in just this situation. The Psalm begins at a place of questioning God in despair.
“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Psalm 77:7-9
The psalmist is wrestling in his heart and mind with grief, trauma, and desperation. He is asking all of those questions that we ask too- has God forgotten to be merciful? Has His love vanished? Although we KNOW the right answers to these questions- our heart and mind wrestle with these thoughts as we desperately cry out to God.
We need to ask ourselves, where are we turning for help? Are we seeking answers that make sense in a time-bound world and to a human mind with limited understanding? Or are we seeking the One who always was, is and is to come? Are we truly trusting the One who is not bound by time or space and has unlimited resources at His disposal? Are we resting in the One whose plans are eternal; the One who knows our heart intimately and has plans for our life that are for our good and His glory.
How can we battle the desperation and loneliness that consume us when we’re pleading with God for deliverance and waiting for His response? How can we fight the feelings of being forgotten and forsaken when it seems like nothing is happening?
When we’re discouraged and defeated, we tend to look at our circumstances and gauge God’s love for us by what is happening to us and around us.
The psalmist, in his despair, knew what he needed to remind himself of….
“Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” Psalm 77:10-14
When we’re discouraged and defeated, we tend to look at our circumstances and gauge God’s love for us by what is happening to us and around us. But God calls us to look to His faithfulness, His power, His greatness as the reminder we need to assure us that He is still in control and nothing is too hard for Him.
When you’re struggling, ask yourself these questions:
How has God provided for and protected me in my life? Look back through the years and remember God’s faithfulness.
What evidence of God’s Presence and goodness have you seen today? Did you wake up? That’s a start!
Is there any other god that supersedes our God? Go on, consider that. There is none. That alone should give you pause and encouragement. Only one God ever died for the sins of humanity and that One is the singular God who rose from the dead, conquering death and hell, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. All powers and authorities bow to Him. There is no power, no circumstance, no misfortune, and no enemy that can override His will and His authority.
List miracles that you’ve learned about in Scripture and miracles and answers to prayer you’ve experienced in your life prior to this situation.
When we consider His works and His great deeds, we can rest assured that He will indeed answer our prayers and work all things for our good.
God is able to do more than we could ask or imagine. He is not limited by our imagination, He is not constrained by our little faith or by our understanding. He is not bound by time, finances, or location. He is El Shaddai, the God who is sufficient for the needs of His people, always.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14
Whatever you’re praying for, know that God hears you. But also be willing to expand your expectations, release your timeline, and surrender your will to His. Watch with faith. He is listening and working, many times in ways you cannot see. Trust Him and be more desperate for Him than for His reply.
“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” Psalm 31:24
Today, let’s pray through Psalm 77. Then let’s encourage our sons and daughters that God IS working. He hears them. He knows their needs. He will answer. Always.
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If you have a prayer request, please feel free to email jointhepacprayer@gmail.com. Know that I’m praying for each of the readers! It’s a joy and privilege!
Pray without ceasing.