God Hears Prayer

The speaker begins by praising the Lord and expressing the importance of prayer. They emphasize that prayer is essential for believers and a gift from God. They mention that God hears and listens to prayer, but it is unclear why some prayers are answered and others are not. They share the story of Hannah, who prayed for a child and was eventually blessed with a son. The speaker encourages listeners to continue praying and not give up, as God delights in listening to and answering prayers. The session concludes with a memory verse and a closing prayer. I will praise the Lord at all times, I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord, that all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness, let us exalt His name together. Shalom, dearly beloved, welcome to our morning glory devotion. Coming your way this morning, Pastor and Pastor Mrs. Baa Obengi of Harvest Chapel, Dayanmi Komasi. It's a joy to have you tune in. Let's kindly share a word of prayer. Thank you Father for divine selection this day. May the entrance of your word bring understanding, in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Let's kindly take our confession from Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. This book of the law shall not depart out of my mouth, but I shall meditate in it day and night, that I may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then I will make my way prosperous, and then I would have good success, Amen. Shalom, dearly beloved, our topic this morning is that God hears prayer, God hears prayer. And our text is from Psalm 65 verse 2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come, Amen. Now prayer is essential to the life, health, and well-being of every believer. Prayer is a gift from God, and a wonderful privilege from Him to all humankind. In prayer, we express our innermost needs and desires for intimacy, fellowship, comfort, consolation, and guidance to God our Savior. And the invitation to pray is for all. God invites us all, all humankind to come pray, talk, and connect with Him our Maker. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all, the emphasis, all men come. In Luke 18 verse 1, Jesus said, Men ought to pray, and not divide. But whilst all men are invited to pray and call upon the name of the Lord, not all men are convinced enough to take advantage of the invitation. Many are skeptical and doubtful about God's willingness to answer their prayers, and therefore find no need to pray at all. But the text is clear. The psalmist maintains that God hears or listens to prayer. Lots of prayers are sent to heaven every day, but whose prayer gets a favorable response on each day or time remains a mystery to man. God, in His sovereign wisdom, has decided to withhold from us all the conditions necessary to be fulfilled if our prayers, cries, and intercessions to Him will on each occasion be favorably answered. Beloved, God works in time and seasons, and God is God. He decides when to share or withhold information to His people, and this has been a source of frustrations for all humankind, especially those of us who embrace and practice the discipline of prayer. And this is clearly illustrated in the story of Elkanah and his household. Whilst Peninnah had children, the well-beloved Hannah had none because the Lord had closed her womb. We don't know why He did that. And the Bible says her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her because the Lord had closed her womb. In verse 7, the Bible says year after year, it was the same. Peninnah would taunt Hannah as he went to the tabernacle in Shiloh, and each time Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat. But one day when the set time of the Lord arrived, things dramatically changed. After they had eaten and drank in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Ellie the priest, the Bible says, was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. As she continued praying before the Lord, Ellie observed her mouth. In verse 13, Hannah was speaking in her heart, only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore, Ellie took care to be a drunken woman. And then he said, Well, how long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you. Verse 15, But Hannah answered, No, my Lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drank neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard yourself as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation. Then Ellie answered, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him. And she said, Let your servant find favor in your eyes. Then the woman went away and ate, and her face was no longer sad. They rose in the morning and worshipped before the Lord. Then they went back to their house at Rava. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. Verse 20, And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, I have asked for him from the Lord. And so, dearly beloved, the invitation stands. All men are welcome to pray and to call upon the name of the Lord with whatever their need may be, but whose prayer in Christ gets heard, and whose prayer, when heard, will be favorably responded to, we don't know, we can't answer at all. God has kept it in his sovereign wisdom away from her. Hannah, as we have noted, was a worshipper, or a believer, we would say. Her persistence in the place of prayer we can surmise paid off. Her trust in the Lord was duly rewarded. God had his own preferred type for answering her prayers, and rewarded her for maintaining trust in him. If we fast forward to what eventually unfolded in the life of the boy Samuel, then we can understand why God delayed in favorably answering Hannah's prayers during the season and times when Peninnah was touting her. God had his own timing and everything perfect for his own plan and purposes in the life of Samuel, Hannah, and Israel. It was not just about Hannah and her need for a child to fend off Peninnah's taunts, but all about the sovereign purposes of God for his people and his wealth. Be encouraged, dearly beloved, and don't give up in the place of prayer. Let's continue praying and not faint. God wants all men to come to him in prayer, for he takes delight in listening to and answering our prayers. Shalom, and God be with you. Amen. Our memory verse this morning is from Psalm 65 verse 2. The King James Version says, O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Amen. Let's share a word of prayer. Father, we want to thank you. We want to bless you, that indeed you are a prayer answering God, and that your ears are always attentive to the prayers of the righteous, and that all men have an invitation to continually come to you, that you hear our prayer, and in due time, in due season, O God, you come through favorably for us, to the glory and to the praise of your name, in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Thank you very much, dearly beloved, for tuning into our Morning Glory devotion broadcast. Enjoy the rest of the day. We greet you HCI today, in Jesus' name. Amen.