When Does God Hear Your Prayer?

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.