He Hears Every Prayer

When I became a Christian, I listened to every word the pastor said. I was especially interested in learning more about prayer. The whole idea of prayer made me nervous. I started studying some of the prayers of Jesus. As I studied His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane I was struck by the simplicity and substance of His Words.

While Jesus was in such extreme agony that His sweat was falling like blood droplets, He prayed that His suffering be removed if possible. Then, He concluded His prayer with “Your Will Be Done. We can come before our Heavenly Father with complete honesty. We can come with our tears and fears and no apology or explanation is required. As we lay our pain and concerns before Him, we can ask for relief. At the same time, we can also surrender to His Lordship and pray Your Will Be Done.

 Pray BIG

This concept was especially hard for me to understand as a 13-year-old brand new Christian. My family was unchurched, and I prayed for them to be saved and in church immediately. One Sunday the pastor encouraged the congregation to pray BIG. With that I started to write out my prayers and I asked God for my entire family’s salvation. I also asked for my father to become such a committed Christian that he would join the praise team.

 It was 25 years before my parents came to faith in Christ. I was an adult and hosting the Bridges show when I learned of my parents’ salvation. I was and still am so thankful for that answered prayer.

 Several months ago, my mom told me that my dad did something that surprised her. When I asked what that was, she said he joined the church orchestra. Since my father is 81 years old and in poor health my mom questioned his decision. I reminded my mom that this was an answer to one of my earliest prayers.

 I wrote that prayer 45 years ago. At that time, I was crying out for God to answer my prayers immediately. I wanted the pain of attending church all by myself to go away right that second. However, I began to see that while I could pour my heart out to God and ask for a suddenly, that I could also yield to His Lordship with nevertheless Your Will Be Done.

God Heard the Pleas of a 14-year-old

 I never imagined that 45 years later I would sit in a sanctuary and see my dad play the trumpet in his church orchestra. God heard the pleas of a 14-yearold girl, and He hears your cries as well. We can come to Him without fear of reprisal and lay out our requests. When His timing or life’s curve balls make us question or doubt, we can trust His Will. We can rest knowing that He’s working everything out for our good.

Today’s Secret from the Studio: He Hears Every Prayer.