TEXT:
Psalm 65:2 "O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come."
Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him."
I. IT'S GOD’S NATURE TO HEAR
A. IT IS ONE OF GOD’S NAMES
1. He inspired the Psalmist to call Him "THOU
THAT HEAREST PRAYER"
2. In today’s English, His name is, THE ONE
WHO HEARS PRAYER
3. He selected this title for Himself and
delights to be called by it.
4. He loves to be called, THE ONE WHO HEARS
PRAYER
B. GOD’S ATTRIBUTES ARE REVEALED IN HIS
NAMES
1. T.C. Horton has written a book titled,
"THE WONDERFUL NAMES OF OUR
WONDERFUL LORD."
2. He lists the various names of God and explains
the attributes which are found in those names.
3. One of the names which he mentions is this
one in Psalm 65:2 "THOU THAT HEAREST
PRAYER" is a Hebrew name
for God.
4. God inspired the psalmist to call Him "THE
GOD WHO ANSWERS PRAYER."
II. WE MUST BELIEVE HE HEARS
A. GOD IS JEALOUS OF HIS REPUTATION AS
ONE WHO ANSWERS
1. Heb. 11:6 states, "But without faith it
is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he
is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
2. Before anyone can come to God he must believe
two things.
3. First, he must believe that there is a
God.
4. Second, he must believe that God is a rewarder
of those who seek Him.
5. That means, he must believe that God answers
prayer.
6. No one can approach Him, unless they believe
that God answers prayer.
7. No one can be saved, unless they believe
that God answers prayer.
8. No one can please God, unless they believe
that God answers prayer.
B. THE NUMBER ONE ATTRIBUTE
1. The one attribute that all must acknowledge
before approaching God is He is THE
GOD WHO HEARS AND ANSWERS
PRAYER.
2. When one comes to God, he is not necessarily
required to acknowledge that God
is CREATOR.
3. When one comes to God, he is not necessarily
required to acknowledge that God is
ALL POWERFUL.
4. …ALL KNOWING.
5. …OMNIPRESENT (or everywhere)
6. What is required is to acknowledge that
GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!
C. THIS IS THE HEART OF GOD’S NATURE
1. This reveals His power.
2. This reveals His wisdom.
3. This reveals His grace and mercy.
4. This reveals His love.
5. He’s THE GOD WHO ANSWERS PRAYER
III. FALSE VIEWS OF PRAYER
A. SOME CLAIM GOD IS LIMITED BY NATURAL
LAW
1. Some stress natural law over God.
2. They claim that God is the servant of nature.
3. They claim that He is limited by the laws
of nature.
4. They have forgotten that GOD CREATED THE
LAWS OF NATURE!
5. They are limiting God.
6. They are minimizing faith and displeasing
God.
7. He that cometh to God must believe that
He is and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him.
B. SOME CLAIM THE DISPENSATION OF MIRACLES
HAS PASSED
1. They claim that God used to answer prayer,
but not anymore.
2. They are making God into a has been.
3. They are claiming that God was more willing
to send rain to the Jews of a previous
generation than He is to
send rain to a blood washed, born-again, Holy Spirit-filled church.
4. They seem to think that the Jews got all
the earthly blessings and we get all the spiritual
blessings.
5. That means they got ½ of God and
we got the other ½ !
6. The fact is, WE HAVE NOT BECAUSE WE ASK
NOT!
James 4:2-3
2 "…yet ye have
not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive
not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
IV. EVERY ATTRIBUTE OF GOD IS IMPLIED IN THE FACT THAT HE HEARS AND ANSWERS PRAYER
A. FIRST, A PRAYER HEARING GOD IS OBVIOUSLY
A LIVING GOD
1. He is not an idol of wood or stone or paper
mache.
2. In 1Kings 18, when the priests of Baal
cried out for their god to hear them and answer,
there was no answer.
3. Elijah mocked them.
4. He said, perhaps he is asleep. Perhaps
he is using the bathroom. Perhaps you should
shout louder where he can
hear you.
5. The problem was, there god was merely an
idol.
6. An idol has eyes but does not see.
7. An idol has ears but does not hear.
8. An idol has a mouth but does not speak.
9. A God who hears prayer is a living God.
B. SECOND, A PRAYER HEARING GOD IS AN
ALL-KNOWING GOD
1. How else could He hear and answer the prayers
of all people, in all languages, of all nations,
all over the world?
2. How else could He know whether or not your
prayer was a prayer of faith?
3. How else could He discern this about all
those who are praying to Him even now?
4. He was wise enough to plan the whole universe
and set it in motion and He is wise enough
to know each of our hearts
when we come to Him in prayer.
5. He is a limitless God, who knows all things!
C. THIRD, A PRAYER ANSWERING GOD IS AN
ALL POWERFUL GOD
1. If God answers prayer for rain, He must
have power over the weather.
2. If God answers prayer for good crops, He
must control the sun, the wind, the rain, the
insects, and the very life
within the seed.
3. If God answers prayer for healing, then
He must control every cell in your body.
4. If God answers prayer for revival, then
He must have influence upon the soul of a man.
5. In Joshua 10:12-13, Joshua asked for the
sun to stand still, and God granted his petition.
God is all powerful!
He controls the whole universe! (Can I have a good Amen?)
D. FOURTH, A PRAYER ANSWERING GOD IS A
GOD OF MERCY
1. God knows our past and He knows we don’t
deserve to have prayer answered.
2. As sinners, we deserve to be forsaken and
abandoned.
3. But, God’s mercy and love is boundless.
4. Romans 5:20 "Where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound."
CONCLUSION:
If God is a God who hears and answers prayer, then let us pray!
God never commanded us to SING without ceasing.
God never commanded us to PREACH without ceasing.
God never commanded us to GIVE without ceasing.
God never commanded us to WORK without ceasing.
But, in 1Thes5:17 God commands us to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!