Do you hate being ignored? Its so frustrating, isn't it? I can recall several times in my life when I was ignored or intentionally neglected. As a child, I can remember many times I felt my voice was not heard.
If you are a child of God, I hope you know that your Heavenly Father will never ignore you. That’s right. If you are faithful to Him, He will never look away from you or intentionally ignore your voice. His hearing is never dulled or dimmed. He listens without reservation or prejudice. The child of God has broken down all social and relational boundaries to gain His attentive ear. By listening to our voice, God graciously creates a link between Him and us that is supernatural. He not only hears you, He longs to hear your voice! He loves for you to speak to Him at any time. The Psalms prove this point.
Your Heavenly Father stands ready to help the poor and needy (Psalm 86:1). You can rely on Him in the darkest of hours (Psalm 88:2) and the most distressing of times (Psalm 102:2). There is a line in one of our hymns that says there’s not “an hour” that He is not near us.
Your Heavenly Father is famous for giving strength to face any adversary (Psalm 64:1). He earnestly wants to give aid to those seeking deliverance (Psalm 71:2). He has the power to lift any failing spirit (Psalm 143:7). We should not think that He wants us to suffer.
Your Heavenly Father listens for the cries of the afflicted (Psalm 22:24). He hears the prayers of the needy (Psalm 69:33). In fact, God hears at all hours of the day (Psalm 55:17), especially in the day/time of trouble (Psalm 86:7). No loving parent can stand idly by when their child is crying out in pain.
Your Heavenly Father hears and delivers His righteous children from their troubles (Psalm 34:17). He doesn’t want us to struggle and suffer. God may not remove every burden but He promises His presence through it. He listens for cries seeking grace (Psalm 27:7) and mercy (Psalm 55:1). God has proven Himself over and over again in this area (Psalm 4:1).
The prophet Isaiah notes that sometimes God works toward a solution even before our prayer is even finished (Isaiah 65:24). Paul echoes this in Romans 8. This means that our faith is not in the eloquence of our prayer but our Heavenly Father who hears it (Psalm 17:6). Our faith should cause us to have patience as we await His answer (Psalm 40:1). Whatever happens His ways are higher (Isaiah 55:8-9).
I often think about something the apostle Peter said about these things. He said: "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer” (I Peter 3:12) . Don’t forget that Peter denied knowing Jesus, swore an oath into the heavens, and then ran away to hide himself because he feared for his life. He learned this great truth: God is always watching and always listening. That’s both a reassuring and fearful thought at the same time.
How could your Heavenly Father ignore you? He is your loving Father and you are His dear child. When is the last time you talked to Him? Why not carve out some time in your schedule today for some quality time in prayer? His attentive, listening ear is ready to heart your sweet voice.
You are loved!
Dr. Ray Reynolds
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