From our perspective, we can’t help wondering why so many people become spellbound by pomp and power. Yet somewhere within each of us there’s a yearning to be close to a king. Our security rests in knowing there is a Sovereign somewhere with power and wealth who can care for us, keep us safe, and guarantee us a wonderful future.
We have a King who graciously invites us into His presence at any time through the miracle-medium of prayer. When we accept this invitation, we discover four wonderful layers of blessing.
God’s Presence
The greatest thing about prayer is the presence of God. In fact, the chief purpose of prayer is recognizing the presence of our King and being with Him. When we pray, we are coming into the presence of a real King for companionship, communion, and fellowship. In Deuteronomy 4:7 Moses told the Israelites, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near to us whenever we pray to him?” (NIV)
It’s true that God is omnipresent—He fills heaven and earth and occupies all of space and time. Yet in terms of personal nearness, it’s in prayer we draw near to God in an exclusive way.
God’s Ear
When we have God’s presence, we also have His ear. This may sound like an unusual topic, but have you ever thought of looking up what the Bible says about God’s ear? You’ll find a lot of references.
- Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see. – 2 Kings 19:16
- Please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night. – Nehemiah 1:6
- In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. – Psalm 18:6
- He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? – Psalm 94:9
- Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. – Isaiah 59:1
- For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. – 1 Peter 3:12
God’s ear never misses a sound. He hears the weeping of a troubled teen, the cry of an anguished parent, the whisper of a bedtime prayer, the sigh of a weary worker, and the praises from the lips of His worshipers. You have the King’s keen ear, and He hears every sound, even the unspoken pleas of your heart.
God’s Care
But the wonder of prayer doesn’t stop there. We can have another’s presence and ear, but what if that person doesn’t care about us? We have a King who is near, who hears, and who deeply cares.
When tough times come, we’re tempted to forget God’s over-watching care. Even the disciples cried, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38) The great biblical hero Job, in the midst of his sufferings, said in prayer, “Your care has preserved my spirit” (Job 10:12). That’s exactly what happens to us as we pray. The King cares for us, and that preserves our spirits when nothing else will. He tells us to cast all our cares on Him, “for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
God’s Work on Our Behalf
When we accept the King’s invitation to pray, we come into His presence, have His ear, and enjoy His care. But if it stopped there, we’d still be in trouble. Some people truly care for us, but they can’t really help us. Not our King! He knows how to work on our behalf, and He does so as we pray. James 5:16 says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Seeing repeated answers to prayer is one of the greatest motivations for continued prayer. God works in our lives. He works all things for our good. He works everything into a pattern that conforms with the purpose of His will. And He does it as we pray.
We have His presence, His ear, His care, and His powerful working in our lives. So accept the King’s standing invitation and come into His palace of prayer whenever you’d like. He’s even available right now.
David Jeremiah is the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church and the founder and host of Turning Point for God. For more information about Dr. Jeremiah or Turning Point, visit www.DavidJeremiah.org.
