Be Thankful for God's Answers

Psalm 118:21

Cleanse Your Mind

You, O Lord, are the One who hears the cries of the innocent and the oppressed. You hear the voice of millions calling out to You, all at one time. You know the voice of each of Your children. Your ears are sensitive to our praise, our thanksgiving, and our supplication. Lord, thank You for hearing us. Thank You for desiring to meet our needs according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Hear God’s Word

Scattered throughout the Psalms is a consistent offering of thanksgiving for God’s willingness to hear the prayers of His people. In Psalm 118:21 the writer said, “I shall give thanks to Thee, for Thou hast answered me; and Thou hast become my salvation.” The thanksgiving of this writer is evoked by the fact that God answers his prayers.

God is worthy of all thanksgiving because He chooses to hear our cries. It is revealed throughout the Bible that God’s ears have always been sensitive to the cries of His people. God told Moses that the cries of His people in Egypt were constantly before Him (Exodus 3:7,9). When the godly cry out to Him, God’s ears are never closed (Psalm 4:3; John 9:31). The fact that God is not forced to hear but rather chooses to listen, provides an even greater reason to offer abundant thanksgivings to Him.

Analyze Your Status

Are you confident God hears your prayers? To the Hebrews the word translated hears in the English is one that implies the hearer is listening and will respond. The more we lack confidence that God hears us, the less we pray. Because we are driven by what works at the moment, many Christians strive to solve the issues of the Church and their own personal lives without ever consulting God. This pattern naturally results in very little effort at thanksgiving. Instead, we place our focus on what we think we have accomplished for God.

Neutralize Your Obstacles

Doubting that God hears and responds to prayer causes many Christians and churches to be prayerless. Our motivation to bring our needs to God is diminished by this false perception, and it is our prayer life that ultimately suffers.

One way to overcome this obstacle is to record in a journal specific answers to prayer. Another method of overcoming this lack of confidence is to join a small prayer group. Get together with three or four other believers and call out to God in a united effort. God will reveal to you that He does hear and respond to our prayers.

Glean God’s Promises

Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” If you don’t believe this you will be reluctant to pray. Trusting God’s promises is the only way to benefit from them. Those who do not believe this promise fail to see the fulfillment of it. We must live by faith that what God promises He will do.

Psalm 69:33 says, “For the Lord hears the needy, and does not despise His own who are prisoners.” As believers we can have confidence to know God hears our every cry no matter what circumstances surround our lives. Being assured of this fact motivates us to offer thanksgiving to Him. Doubting that God hears our prayers only produces ingratitude.

Expedite Your Decision

Trust the God who has heard the cries of His creation from the very beginning. Demonstrate this trust in Him by praying daily. When you do, you will discover what John affirmed when he wrote, “And this is the confidence which we have before Him that, if we ask anything according to His will; He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14-15). This confidence will ultimately result in thanksgiving and praise for all God has done.


Study Helps:

1. Do you sincerely believe that God hears your prayers?

2. What are some attitudes or circumstances that cause us to doubt that God is listening to our prayers?

3. Make a list of prayers you know God answered. These should not be only those He answered like you wanted.

4. What promise can Christians claim concerning God’s response to our prayers?

5. What action plan has God revealed to you for becoming a more thankful person?

 

 
Lookup a word or passage in the Bible



BibleGateway.com
Include this form on your page

dailydosepromo

The Daily Dose Bible Study Series is now available on CD and as an online edition for current subscribers. Follow the links below to continue receiving the Daily Dose.

Free Week of Daily Dose Online Bible Studies

Order a 26 Week Edition of the Daily Dose

dailydosecdorder

 

His Rain Homepage | About Us | Contact Us

© Copyright 2008 His Rain Ministries


May 19, 2010