If I had cherished sin in my heart,
Psalms 66:18-19 (NIV)
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
God does listen to our prayers when we abide in him. This doesn’t just mean that he is aware of what we prayed but that he gives weight to what we pray. He is our Father who listens and responds, even if sometimes the response is “no” or “wait” because he has another plan for our lives.
And we do not have to be especially mature or advanced in our understanding before God will listen to us. If we are following him then he will listen. He only asks that we do not cherish sin in our hearts. If we intentionally harbor destructive attitudes and ways then he may wait for our repentance before he listens. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NIV). If we abide in Christ then we are righteous and our prayers are effective.
Abiding in Christ includes having faith in his promise to listen to our prayers. In spite of prayers that have not been answered and regardless of how we feel we need to maintain faith that our Father will “give good things to those who ask him” (Matt. 7:11, ESV).
