Does God hear our prayers? Unequivocally, yes! The Lord wants us to talk to Him. Prayer is an interaction that involves the entire Trinity. We learn of God and His desires for us through His Holy Word. The Holy Spirit calls us to prayer. We bring our prayers to the Father through Jesus Christ and in the authority of His name. The Lord answers according to what is best for us. The Lord moves in our spirit.
Why should we pray? We are commanded and encouraged to pray. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). We have been called to devote ourselves to prayer with an attitude of thankfulness, and to pray without ceasing.
You know what? Jesus has equipped us to pray. God uses our prayers to advance His purpose. The Lord's prayer was given to us as an example, how to pray. This is why we should pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done..." When God answers our prayers, we have been used as instruments for His purpose.
There are times that we do pray and we come to God with our concerns and problems. There are times when we have a delayed answer in prayer. Its like God has a whole department called the "Delayed Prayer Department." There are our prayers, the ones that have been stamped "not yet." The ones we are still waiting for God to answer. He has clearly answered "yes" to some and "no" to others, but the "not yet" ones we are awaiting, is a test of faith.
In this "Delayed Prayer Department," there is much love being poured over those prayers. The Giver of good gifts is preparing a mighty big blessing for us, while those prayers are residing in this department. Those prayers are not lost nor are they being ignored, but while they are being delayed, we must remain faithful, diligent, and persistent in our prayers.
In the "Delayed Prayer Department," God is being extremely gracious toward us and shoveling much mercies our way. There, He is watching us go through our trails too, but He will never allow one too many to confront us. This delay is helping us build a better, stronger and more intimate relationship with God.
In the "Delayed Prayer Department," God is forever faithful. God's delay is not a denial. In this process, we learn to completely lean on God and trust Him. We learn to just trust His process. We tend to doubt when our prayers goes unanswered. But don't doubt. Don't allow your faith to waver. God's answer is on the way. He hears our prayers when we pray to Him, but He answers them in His own time.
In the "Delayed Prayer Department," God is working in ways you could never dream of. The answer to your prayer will be for His purpose. The blessing will materialize in a way, that man could never receive credit for it. You will receive your blessing and God will receive His glory.
In the "Delayed Prayer Department," God will answer your prayer in His Own Time, in His Own Way, in His Own Power, and for His Own Purpose.
"Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit's wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere" (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).