“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12
Have you ever tried the classic communication style of yell-at-each-other-in-different-rooms-of-the-house. I am sure you have experienced this too with a spouse, parent, or kid at some point in your life. You are in the bedroom, someone else is in the living room, and you begin to attempt to have a conversation by shouting. Eventually, the other person says, “I can’t hear a word you are saying” and for some reason that usually puts someone involved in a bad mood.
It is amazing how hindered communication frustrates us and make us feel less cared for. It is fair to say that all of us have probably felt a similar frustration towards prayer. It has often seemed to me that prayer is too good to be true. How is it we can talk to the Creator of the universe whenever we want, wherever we are? We may convince ourselves that there are too many barriers between us and God, whether it’s our past, feeling not good enough, or some other lies we are tempted to believe. Yet, the words of the prophet Jeremiah should encourage us that our God listens to us.
When Jeremiah wrote those words, there was a lot of tension between God’s people. God had told the Israelites they were going to spend 70 years in captivity due to their constant rebellion and their tendency to give into idols. But God gave them a promise: after 70 years of captivity, they would be able to call upon God and He would hear them. The good news for us is that the promise God gave the Israelites, is our promise every single day. We do not have to spend 70 years in captivity for God to hear us, and we do not have to shout as if God is in another room. We have unlimited and unhindered access to our God.
Our God invites us to talk to Him. God has removed every obstacle that could hinder us and invites us to come close with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). Even better, God, our loving Father, has invited us to come close as His children. There will be seasons when you feel as though your words are only going into the air, and there will be some seasons you are going to feel as though you do not deserve to be heard by God.
But the truth is this: you are His child. Because you are His child, He will always have His ears inclined to hear you and be there for you. Lean into that promise and make it a point to spend time talking with your Father every day. Before going into prayer, remind yourself that you are God’s child and He loves to hear from you!
Prayer: Father God, thank you for always being accessible. I am grateful that I can come and talk to You no matter where I am, no matter what time it is, and no matter what I’m going through. You always hear and You always listen to my prayers. Ignite a fire in my heart to talk with You more and more. Remind me I am Yours and that means You are listening. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
