God Is Listening
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
Job, when reflecting on his troubles said, “Man that is born of woman is of but few days and full of trouble.”
Can you relate to him? Have you felt that? Have you ever been overcome with the troubles which surround you?
Israel had a problem with thinking God had turned a deaf ear to their needs. Sadly, we often think the same thing when troubles come upon us and we struggle from day to day just to breathe.
When God deals with a need we have or a request in our prayer, it is a huge issue. Let me give you an example. The next time you are around a body of water like a pool, a pond or even a bathtub which is filled, try a little test. Drop something in the water and watch what happens. Now, watch carefully at the exact place you drop the object in. Is that the only place affected by what you did or did it affect the whole pool of water?
When you drop something into a pool of water it disrupts the surface tension of the water and causes an effect to the whole pool. Some of the effect is very noticeable while at other places in the pool the effect is not so noticeable.
When you request something of God and He answers your prayer, it is not just about you. Anyone whose life is touched by yours, and even some who are not necessarily touched directly by you, are part of the ripple effect of the change God makes in a circumstance to answer your prayer.
God has to manage multitudes of people to make any change in my situation. And, that change could move though whole generations. Think about it.
We ask something of God and expect an immediate answer as if we are putting money in a vending machine, push the button and out comes our vend. Buying a bag of potato chips does not change the life of millions in the world. Answering your prayer may well have a delay for time to allow God to answer.
David, in the Psalm, was excited to know that God was listening and doing in his life. He had full confidence that God knew exactly what He was doing and was completely willing to move space and time to effect changes in his life.
Be patient when you pray and be careful when you pray. You are not the only one affected by what happens. Think about it. No wonder we sometimes need to wait for an answer.