God's Not Deaf

A little boy was saying his bedtime prayers with his mother. He prayed, "Lord, bless Mommy and Daddy.” Then with a loud and emphatic shout he added, “AND GOD GIVE ME A NEW BICYCLE!!!" His mother trying to correct his outburst informed him, "God's not deaf, son." The little boy responded, "I know, Mom, but Grandma's in the next room, and she's hard of hearing!”

What do you think? Is God hard of hearing? Jesus puts prayer into perspective when He starts the Lord's Prayer with "Our Father which art in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). As a Christian, do not ever forget who you are talking to when you pray. God is not stingy or uncaring. God is our Father. A giving, loving, and guiding Heavenly Father who by His very nature enjoys providing for and generously supplying good gifts to His children. Take the words of Jesus to heart from Matthew 7:11 (ESV),

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

We also should not forget that there are things that can hinder our prayers and cause a disconnect in our communication with God. These include…

-Sin (Isaiah 59:1-2)
-Unresolved conflict (Matthew 5:23-24),
-A failure to talk to God (James 4:2)
-Selfishness (James 4:3)
-Marital problems (1 Peter 3:7)
-A lack of faith in God (James 1:5-8)

If your communication with God is not going so well, it is not because God’s ears stopped working. God’s not deaf. He can hear you and wants to hear from you. Carve out some special time to get with God. Get the aforementioned obstacles to prayer out of the way. Humble yourself and seek Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Cast your cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7). He is your Heavenly Father, and He will take care of you. If ever you find yourself at a loss of words and don’t know what to pray, you can always pray the Lord’s Prayer. There is great power in it.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
-Matthew 6:9-13, KJV