Is God Listening? What If He Doesn’t Respond?
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”
Hebrews 13:5
From the time we were children, we probably pictured God in heaven looking down at us and listening to our simple child-prayers. But as we got older and experienced some of the hardships in life, we wondered how well God was listening to us, particularly when he doesn’t respond immediately.
Maybe God deliberately ignores us with his disapproval when we disobey him. Or maybe he gets too busy addressing all of the needs of his creation. Others are in line for his care ahead of us. In short, maybe God is like we are in the way that we pay attention to some people, but ignore others who annoy us. And so, we think he ignores or forgets us.
Why does it feel like God isn’t answering my prayers?
When God speaks through His Word, we try to listen. So, when we pray, we expect God to listen. We might think that it should be that simple. But often, especially when we experience difficulty or suffering, we wonder where God is and whether or not He is thinking about us. When we suffer, it’s easy to believe that God is either absent or has forgotten us. But God assures us that he is present and has not forgotten us: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
How do I get to know God’s will for my suffering better?
We must ask ourselves What has God told us in His Word about his hearing our cries and responding to them? Without hesitation, the psalmist shouts, “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:9). He is confident that God hears him. But that is not all. He tells us that God “accepts” his prayer. This is huge!
So many times when we suffer and cry out to God, we believe that He hears us, but we wonder if he “accepts” our prayers. In the Bible, the word ‘accept’ is used to describe God’s response to sacrifices. God either accepts or refuses to accept sacrifices. There was no gray area, no maybe. With full confidence, the psalmist believes that God not only hears what we pray but also accepts it like a sacrifice when we pray in a right relationship with Him.
Is it okay to pray for healing?
Yes, we should pray for healing when we suffer. God does not ask us to deny or try to redefine suffering. Suffering hurts! But in our request for healing, we must submit our wills to the will of the Great Healer. After all, even Jesus cried out to the Father the very night before, his crucifixion, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Our prayers should be the same as Jesus’. We should pray both for relief from suffering as well as for a will submissive to God’s will.
How do I find support while I’m waiting on God’s answer?
We can remind ourselves that God loves us and watches over us. In fat, Not only does God hear your every word of our prayers, He cannot take his eyes off of you. Peter tells a group of suffering believers, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12).
Why does God allow us to suffer?
Why is inseparable from when. The reasons for our suffering are inseparably related to our timely need to grow. We are ready for God’s school of suffering and we need it. But another aspect of when is that your suffering will only last s long as it needs to for God to accomplish His purposes. And then it stops.
What should be our greatest concern in suffering?
Not surprisingly, when we suffer, so does our relationship with God. But we should see suffering as a time when God desires to draw us closer to him. We should remind ourselves that our Lord loves us and works through our weaknesses. It is His open door to our hearts, if we will invite him in. Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev 3:20). He is always there, even if we can’t see him behind the door. So, let’s think of Jesus’ presence as him knocking on or door. Usually we think of us knocking on his.
Even today, shepherds commonly tend their sheep outside the walls of Jerusalem next to a high-speed freeway. The sheep graze a few hundred feet from certain death being hit by a car. But if you look carefully at the sheep, you will notice a sore spot on the back of every sheep. This might cause you to wonder how qualified the shepherds are to tend the sheep, until that is, you watch what happens when one sheep wanders away from the flock toward that high-speed freeway. Almost effortlessly, the shepherd will take his 15-20 foot long staff and poke the wayward sheep right on its sore spot. Of course, the sheep immediately comes running back to the protection of the shepherd. You get the picture.
We are that sheep, prone to wander and live dangerously in God’s pasture. But when we get too far away from our perfect Shepherd, he pokes us on our sore spot in perfect love and wisdom. This simple picture of suffering reminds us that we can be confident of God’s presence when we pray. Most important, we can trust our perfect shepherd.
Written By—Dave Deuel, PhD
Senior Research Fellow – Policy and Publications
The International Disability Center at Joni and Friends
Is God Listening?
This book reminds you that God hears each cry for help, and he is not silent. He speaks to you through his Word—the Bible—and he acted to save you through the cross. Jesus offers us his unwavering presence and the promise that one day, those who trust him will be delivered completely.
