So, I went to my prayer closet today…and heaven didn’t open with angels ascending and descending on a ladder illuminated by light and heavenly choruses of “hallelujah”. So what now?
Have you ever been in this place? You spent time in devotions, Bible study and prayer and yet you don’t feel especially close to God, or like you necessarily heard His voice, or that those mountains went and threw themselves into the sea. It’s not that you specifically feel that God is distant but maybe you wonder exactly what was supposed to happen in your time of prayer. What was the point of the prayer time? Was the prayer time effective? Was it worth it? What (if anything) will be changed or better because of that time spent in prayer?
I imagine that you have had these same questions in your life and have wondered whether that made you less “spiritual” or less “holy” or if you had enough faith… I want to tell you that the time that is spent with the Lord in prayer is never in vain. God has a plan and a purpose for the time you spend with Him and He is actively working in the midst of that time. God hears and answers our prayers, not according to how we pray but according to His great mercy. The fact of God meeting with us in prayer is not how (or whether) we “feel” Him there or “hear” His voice, but rather the fact that He is who He says He is. God’s character is that of love and holiness. And His love is perfect and His holiness if absolute. As such, since God has said “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV), you can rest assured that
- God was not lying,
- God is able to fulfill that which He has promised,
- His answering us is not based on how hard we pray, listen or try,
- He answers us whether or not we “feel” Him or hear/perceive/understand what He has said, and
- Simply trusting Him and walking on in complete faith and obedience, He will assure and reassure you that He not only heard your prayer but is actively answering it according to His perfect love and holiness.
So, can I challenge you to go to the Lord in prayer today? Pray to the Lord in a prayer closet (whether that be a room, a chair or simply the inner chamber of your heart) and make sure that you spend some time speaking and some time listening. Also please make sure to continue throughout the day in prayer, trusting, resting and abiding in Him while also meditating on His promises. Sometimes heaven opens and the hallelujahs ring out. Other times we walk on in faith and slowly, peacefully and powerfully the words, light and presence of the Lord dawn on our hearts and then we know in both faith and sight that God has heard our prayer!
Pastor Michael Johnson 