The God Who Hears - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - January 23, 2025
“And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.” 1 John 5:14 (NLT)
As a little girl, I used to pray for earthly things—clothes that would make me popular, the newest hairstyle, and a certain brand of dance shoes. I later replaced clothes and shoes with a boyfriend or good test scores. I didn’t understand when God’s answer seemed far away.
Once I was a teenager, I realized that what I prayed for mattered. I learned about prayer and started getting serious about the words I said. I memorized The Lord’s Prayer, The Apostles' Creed, and many of Jesus’ words and teachings about prayer.
When mental illness struck my home life, I started praying for peace in a chaotic world. I asked for healing for family members. Money when finances were tight. For evil people to turn away from their sins and become good people.
I’m a firm believer in God’s goodness and answer to prayer. But over the years, I’ve learned that sometimes God’s answer doesn’t sound like what we want it to. Sometimes it’s Yes, sometimes it’s No, sometimes it’s Not yet, and sometimes it’s I have something better in store. We don’t get to choose how or when He answers, but we do get to choose how much we trust Him in the process.
I’ve been following Jesus for twenty years. I’ve seen miracles and answered prayers. Clear provisions of God’s way when there was no other path forward. But I’ve also prayed prayers I’m still praying to be answered. I’ve seen loved ones die and bad things happen to good people, and I've struggled to cling to my faith when times get tough.
When I’m feeling weary and a little too defeated to stand, 1 John 5:14 reminds me that Jesus hears all of our prayers. The ones with pure motives and the ones with impure ones. The ones asking for healing, and the ones asking for providence.
The beauty of prayer is that God knows the intentions of our hearts. And even if we’re still waiting on His answer, we can rest assured that He wouldn’t make any of us wait unless it was good for us to do so.
In Psalm 139, David writes a beautiful prayer reflecting these qualities in the Lord: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" (Psalm 139:1-7, NIV).
Friend, I don't know what you're going through today, but I do know that God sees and knows the intentions of your heart. Sometimes, we're praying for things we really do need. Other times, we're praying for things that aren't worth the fuss. But God knows what's on the inside of us. He hears every thought we utter, whether we speak it or not, and He cares about us all.
I also have confidence that nothing can separate us from God's presence and His ability to hear our prayers. Though I am horrible at listening, isn't it encouraging to know that we serve a God who hears all our thoughts—even the ugly, complaining, irrelevant, and overly stated ones we pray again and again?
Let Psalm 139:8-15 remind us of these things: "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth" (NIV).
Let's pray:
Dear God, Thank you for hearing every prayer we pray to you. You know the intentions of our hearts, and we're thankful for that. Sometimes, we pray for desperate things. Those are urgent pleas of our heart that the Father hears—whether He answers them at that moment or is waiting until the perfect time to fulfill our pleas. We also know that you hear the things we pray for that aren't in line with your will. Please change our hearts so that we may pray for things that align with your desires for us. We love, praise, and thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Agape, Amber
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/jacoblund
Related Resource: Anxiety: Practical Steps for Healing in Christ
Anxiety is debilitating and can leave us feeling overwhelmed, alone, and defeated. But what if there were practical steps and biblical truths that could lessen the load and aid us in our freedom journeys with mental health struggles? Pastor and Licensed Professional Counselor Susan Thomas joins me to discuss this today! Like what you hear? Subscribe to Bought + Beloved with Kirby Kelly on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
