PP0732 DATE BHBC 8/13/06
WHEN DOES GOD HEAR YOUR PRAYER?
Ps 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. (KJV)
Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (KJV)
INTRODUCTION: In Vs. 6 is the word “Cried”. The word cry, cried, or crieth is used 291 times in the Bible.
The Psalmist describes himself as a poor man, and so he was, for he was driven from home and country. His prayer was only a cry, yet the Lord answered him, and all his troubles vanished. Let the poor in spirit, and the poor in pocket, try the psalmist’s plan, and they will soon sing as he did. (Spurgeon)
In Vs. 6, the Psalmist is in drastic need and cries out unto God and God answered his prayer. “…. and saved him out of all his troubles.”
Notice the phrase: “…and the LORD heard him….”
There are times when God won’t hear you: Times when your prayers won’t get through.
He Won’t Hear You When You Have Unconfessed Sin In Your Life.
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (KJV)
Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: (KJV)
Pr 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (KJV)
Every child of God must keep a clear channel of answered prayer available. None of us know when there will be an emergency and prayer is the only avenue we have. If our prayers are not answered we will be in a heap of trouble.
He Won’t Hear A Married Couple That Is At Odds With Each Other.
1Pe 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (KJV)
He Won’t Hear Selfish Prayers.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (KJV)
Most prayers are prayed with the person praying as the benefactor. That’s selfish prayers. I am not saying that we should not pray about our own needs and circumstances. I am saying that to pray for self only and not for others as much as for self, that is selfish praying, and you won’t get an answer.
David gives us the report of a time in his life when he needed God to hear him, and God did, and verse 6 of the text, says God saved him out of all his troubles. I want to have that same privilege available to me and to my wife. You need the same thing. There will be times when each of us need God to answer our prayer and to hear us as we cry unto Him.
We need Him to hear us when a loved one is sick unto death.
We need Him to hear us when we have a drastic need.
We need Him to hear us when we don’t know the answer to a certain problem.
We need Him to hear us at any time there is a problem in our life.
We need Him to hear us when we are praying for a friend or loved one that is an emergency situation. Often times we will receive a phone call from one of the members of BHBC and they are making a request for prayer for someone that is experiencing an emergency need. They need God to do something at that moment.
Let me give you some areas in which God will hear you when you cry.
I. GOD HEARS THE CRY OF REPENTANCE
Peter cried out in repentance. Peter had denied the Lord three times and then the cock crowed and Peter remembered the word of the Lord.
Mt 26:73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. (KJV)
God will hear your cry of repentance if you will cry out to Him. Only a few Christians are in a position of NOT needing repentance. Every time I pray I assume I need to repent first. Most will not admit it, but all have something to repent about. It is doubtful if any in this room that does not need to repent of something. Unrepented hearts will keep your prayer from being heard. God will not hear you.
The Psalmist cried out and said, that the Lord heard him and saved him from ALL of his troubles. That’s a position each of us must be in. When we cry unto God we need Him to hear us.
Is there something you need to repent of? If so, you will not get an answer to prayer until you do.
Maybe you were sharp with your wife or husband or a child this week and you have not gone to that one and repented of that sin. You may have slipped at work and said something or done something that was not becoming of a child of God. You need to repent of that. Maybe you have acted without faith. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” You need to repent of that.
Maybe you were angry with a fellow employee or a friend – you need to repent of that. Maybe you cheated on your time card – you need to repent of that. Dishonesty is a sin that must be repented of.
God hears the cry of repentance.
Turning from sin and self to the Saviour.
II. GOD HEARS THE CRY OF MERCY
Mercy is a very prominent word in the Bible. It is used over 300 times in the Bible.
A. The Publican - Lu 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (KJV)
B. David Cried Out For Mercy Numerous Times.
Ps 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD. (KJV)
Ps 27:7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. (KJV)
There are times when a person has no other recourse than to just cry for mercy. “God have mercy on me.”
There are times when you have no reason for the thing you did, and you have no other recourse but just plead for mercy. “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
There are times you know you are guilty of sinning against God and there is nothing else but to cry out for mercy. You must have His mercy. His mercy keeps His wrath from acting on us. His wrath is manifested in judgment.
Ps 31:9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. (KJV)
III. GOD HEARS THE CRY OF SURRENDER
A. Isaiah Cried Out In Surrender.
Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (KJV)
Is there anyone here today that needs to say, “Here am I, Lord send me?”
God was pleading for someone to go and take the message to Israel, and Isaiah said, “I’ll go.”
It is a blessed day in any Christian’s life when he/she cries in surrender to the will of God, saying, “Here am I, send me.”
B. Jonah Cried Out In Surrender.
Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,
2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. (KJV)
Jon 3:1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. (KJV)
Jonah was a rebellious prophet. He didn’t want to go to Nineveh. He refused God’s call to go and God applied the pressure and Jonah surrendered.
Is there some one here today that is doing what Jonah did? God has told you to go and do a certain thing and you have ignored God, or you ran away from Him and have been doing your own thing all of this time. It’s time you surrendered to His will and way.
Unsurrendered lives brings God’s pressure and persuasion – God will do one of two things in getting you to surrender. He will keep applying the pressure to your life, or He will give up on you.
C. Paul Cried Out In Surrender.
Ac 9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (KJV)
Suppose there had been no Apostle Paul? You and I would not have heard the Gospel. None of us would be saved today. This church would not be here. Who is it that is waiting for you to surrender so you can take the gospel to them. God wants you to take the gospel to someone. Someone will miss heaven and go to hell if you do not surrender to do the will of God.
IV. GOD HEARS THE CRY OF CONFESSION
A. David’s Confession.
2Sa 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. (KJV)
2Sa 24:17 And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. (KJV)
Here’s the problem – the average Christian has so much pride that they won’t confess they have sinned. That frame of mind will stop prayers.
B. Isaiah’s Confession.
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. (KJV)
Isaiah thought he would be killed in the presence of the Lord. His unclean condition was his means of guilt and he fully expected to die in the presence of the Lord.
Confession is necessary for a Child of God to get prayers answered.
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV)
V. GOD HEARS THE CRY OF A TROUBLED SAINT
Mt 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (KJV)
The problem Peter faced was his own doing. He took his eyes off of Jesus and his trouble came. Jesus still came to his rescue. I don’t know of a Scripture that tells us we will have to go through our troubles by our self.
Many of you have been in certain situations, sickness, trouble, hardships, or emergencies and the only thing you could do was to cry out to God as a troubled saint.
VI. GOD HEARS THE CRY FOR FORGIVENESS
Ps 25:18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. (KJV)
Ps 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (KJV)
David cried out for forgiveness often. He knew his sin was a reproach against God and he cried for forgiveness. God always heard him and forgave him. David was the only man to seek after the heart of God. Therefore we know that God forgave Him.
There have been times when I would do something and immediately I would realize that it was a sin against God and I would cry out for forgiveness. Oh! How sweet is the forgiveness of a forgiving God.
Everyone in this room has tasted of His forgiveness numerous times.
VII. GOD HEARS THE CRY FOR COMPASSION
Mr 1:40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. (KJV)
This man said, “Lord have compassion on me”. The Lord did.
His compassion reaches to all mankind. All of us need to experience and to rest comfortably in His compassions.
INVITATION
