I AM listening...

2 Chronicles 7:15-16
Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut where we feel like, and start to believe that, God isn’t listening anymore. These feelings can be the result of our background in church doctrine, a misquoted or misunderstood scripture, or just our own sin conscious, self-reflective attitudes. What can we do when we start feeling this way?

Well, the answer is get back to the basics. The writer of Hebrews makes reference while talking to believers (that’s us) that, though we ought to be teachers, sometimes we need someone to refresh our memory and explain to us, again, the basics of the Gospel (Hebrews 5:12). We should know these things, but sometimes we just need to be reminded. Mind you, the writer doesn’t say that we need to be reminded of what we have done wrong, but rather of the first principles of God. In our case, that is, New Testament living, these would be the foundational doctrines of Christianity. Allow me to remind you of the basics:

1-Christ came in human form.
2-He lived a perfect life.
3-Christ was scourged and beaten for our healing.
4-He was cursed and nailed to a tree for our death.
5-He rose from the grave, victorious and has forgiven us of all sin.

Now that we have gotten the basics out of the way we can move forward and recognize that nothing we have done, will do, or are doing, is causing God to not hear us. No circumstance we have fallen into, no new challenge in our lives is taken on without the loving and ALWAYS listening ear of God. Scripture backs this up!

The Bible tells us that our bodies have become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 3:16), wherein the name of Jesus lives! That being the case, the promise that God made regarding prayer in His temple pertains directly to us. God told Solomon that in the temple, the place where His name would reside (2 Chronicles 2:1), His ears and His eyes would be attentive to the prayers made!

Friends this is very positive news! Those of us who are Christians have the blessing of being made the house for the name of the Lord. Jesus is written within us, on our hearts, and in our minds. That being the case, we are never out of fellowship with God. No matter what you have done or think you have done God is still listening to you!

The real good news is this: Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty for all of your sins, long before you were born. God, being outside of time, knew exactly why, when, where, how, and what you were going to do, before you were even born! He preemptively forgave you, wrote His name on your heart, and now listens, attentively, to all the prayers that you make! But wait, there’s more. It’s not just the simple fact that God is watching you and listening to your prayers; He’s also sanctified you.

That’s right folks, God hears you and watches you because He has sanctified you by the blood sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ! Since He has done that, His name is with you forever. It can’t be removed; He put it there! Even greater still is this: His heart is with you.

Whatever your situation today, know that God is watching you and listening to you. You haven’t fallen out of fellowship with Him. He hasn’t stopped listening to your prayers. God loves you; His heart is with you. He gave you life through Jesus Christ, His only Son. So pray and KNOW that God is listening!