by Pastor Douglas Brauner

God Hears Our Prayers

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7 English Standard Version

For the last couple of years I have been keeping a prayer journal. I read a portion of Scripture then write a prayer to God. Sometimes these entries are pretty raw, opening up wounds in my life. At other times these prayers are filled with praise and awe of what God has done for me in Jesus. And sometimes they’re just an entry because, well, that’s what I do in the morning as I start my day.

Whether these prayers center around my struggles or my joys, they are laid at the foot of the cross.

I ran across this scene at the YMCA camp in Estes Park, Colorado. My great nephew and I were taking a morning hike to Bible Point. When we reached the top we found this cross along with pieces of paper on which we could have written prayers.

This scene prompts the question, how should we pray?

Jesus encourages us to ask for things from God. However, it is hard to know what we should ask for. It probably feels like most of our asking is for selfish reasons. Notice that Jesus didn’t qualify the asking. He simply encourages us to ask.

Jesus encourages us to seek, but what should we seek after? Should we seek to be an influence in the world? Should we seek fame and fortune? The psalms encourage us to seek after God, to pant for God as a deer pants for water.

Jesus encourages us to knock. This is the knocking of Jairus whose daughter was near death. This the knocking of the woman who had a constant flow of blood. This is the persistent knocking that doesn’t give up on God even when it feels like God has given up on us (Psalm 88).

Whether we are asking, seeking, or knocking, whether we keep a prayer journal or not, our prayers come under the cross of Jesus where we are assured that God hears them.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado