Have you ever prayed for something for a long time with no apparent results?
God, Are You Listening?
You pray and pray and hear nothing?not even crickets. During times like this it?s common to question if God is even listening. You may begin to wonder if prayer makes a difference. Ultimately, you may just give up and stop praying. I have to admit that I have done exactly that on more than one occasion. And, while I?m not proud of that admission, I have learned an important lesson over the years. Giving up praying because you don?t think God hears you is a BIG mistake. Rather than just leave it there, however, I?d like to offer some assistance. Over the next few days, I?ll share with you some ways that will help you to see that God not only hears your prayers, but is actually responding to them.
Dig A Little Deeper
The first thing I would urge you to do is look for signs. Although He sometimes intervenes with instantaneous and powerful miracles, the Lord typically responds to our prayers gradually. In fact, His response is often so subtle that it can easily be missed.
Elijah Prays For Rain
When we are first introduced to the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17) in the Bible, a great drought was taking place. Three years later, the Lord told the prophet that the drought would be coming to an end. Bowing down and putting his face between his knees, Elijah prayed for the Lord?s word to come to fruition. With confident expectation, he then told his servant to ?look toward the sea? for the arrival of the rain. After the servant reported back that he didn?t see anything, Elijah sent him back seven more times. Finally, the servant observed ?a little cloud like a man?s hand rising out of the sea?. Upon receiving that confirmation, Elijah dispatched his servant to inform King Ahab that the drought was over. In a little while, there was a great rain.
Look For Little “Clouds”
Even though the Lord doesn?t seem to be answering your prayers, I recommend that you look for the ?little clouds? in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discover the tiny ways that prove that your prayers are being heard. The signs are there…
You just have to recognize them.
