God hears your prayers. No matter who you are or what you have done, He hears your prayers when they are from a sincere and penitent heart. As we speak to Him in truth, He responds to us truthfully. He has never once rejected a prayer that contains penitence and truth. Often people pray to Him with a self-centered view. Such prayers are never from contrition. Again, He considers our good deeds. If they are from righteousness, a righteousness that is of faith in Him, He remembers us at all times. The only thing we ought to be aware is to not be weary in praying to Him and in doing good deeds. Our life changes when we persist in doing them. Setting time limits and insisting that God should respond in appropriate manner is silly. Until and unless our prayers and good deeds match His measure, the limits we or anyone else may set are pointless.
One of the things we ought to understand and accept is that we are to wait upon God; for He knows the exact times of fulfillment. Cornelius was a devout man, who offered alms to people and righteous prayers to God. When the time came for God to visit Him, God chose him and his household to enter His kingdom. “And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ And he said to him, ‘Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God’” (Acts 10:4). Our prayers and good deeds will certainly move God to answer us. Whatever need we have at that moment, He fulfills them. It was salvation for Cornelius and his household. It could be another in each one of our cases. When we plead God doing deeds of righteousness, He will not ignore us. Cornelius was tested and so will we be. God perfected his prayers and righteous works by waiting to visit him. Cornelius did not grow weary. He persevered until God met him with His goodness.
So, no genuine prayer and good deed will go wasted. God logs them in His book. We may feel He is not answering, but in reality He is only waiting to answer. He waits until we reach certain wholeness, and visits us. The result is we understand His mind and ways. This is only good, because we know who He is and how He intends to work with us. Every prayer we pray will have an outcome; and every good deed will lead to a reward. And, we give no room for speculation like the gentiles. Our hearts are with wisdom that seeks God. We are indeed honoring Him and rendering thanks to Him. We are quite the opposite of what not to be. “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21).
We can always count on God to respond to our prayers. The Spirit in Paul reminds us saying, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1). At the time of their need Israel prayed to God and He answered them. God pulled them out of the iron furnace and gave them the pleasant life that they’ve never imagined. There was no obstruction that could hinder them. Even the Red Sea parted into two. It was up to them to maintain God’s goodness toward them, which they later on failed to do so. But when they sought God, He did not forsake them.
There are good reasons as to why God responds to our prayers and good deeds.
- He made a promise. “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU’” (Gal. 3:8). God chose Abraham to bless anyone that turns to Him. Those who are with faith and are able to call on Him will partake of the promise He made to Abraham. God chose Abraham for the very reason to save us; not only save us, but to bless us in His measure. The gospel Abraham received was faith in Him. And by calling on Him with it we are justified.
- That we are always filled. It is His intention that we are filled with His good ways, deeds and blessings. So, He gave His Word to the believing. “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:2). Whatever we have received and are meant to receive is by His grace and then to continue in them with understanding is by His peace. He gives them both so that we are stable and reliant upon Him. The more we ask Him the more we receive and the more good deeds we do the more rewards.
- That He remembers us. “But one has testified somewhere, saying, ‘WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM?’” (Heb. 2:6). He is always concerned about us and hence, He chooses to remember us. By listening to our prayers and watching us do good deeds He makes sure we receive that which we have asked. He knows the degree of our strength and so, remembers us. He remembers us through our prayers.
- That we remain unharmed. “Who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5). It is God’s utmost intent to keep us safe until the time we are taken into heaven. When we exercise our faith through asking Him and by doing good deeds, He releases His power to protect us from anything that tries to rob us from Him. The saying “no weapon formed against you shall prosper” will always apply to us. Men may put obstacles in our way, Satan may trouble us with various trials and even sift us, but the protection God promised through faith in Christ keeps us in Him to receive eternity.