PRAYER-Does anyone hear our prayers?

WHAT PEOPLE SAY It has been said that prayers seem to "rise no higher than the ceiling." People undergoing suffering may especially be prone to doubt that their prayers are heard.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS "The eyes of Jehovah [God] are on the righteous, and his ears listen to their supplication, but the fave of Jehovah is against those doing bad things," says the Bible. (1 Peter 3:12) Clearly, God does listen to prayers. He is, however, especially inclined to listen to those who follow his precepts. Regarding God's willingness to hear us when we pray, another scripture states:  "This is the confidence that we have toward him, that no matter what we ask according to his will, he hears us." (1 John 5:14) Hence, sincere supplicants need to understand what types of request are likely to harmonize with God's will.

How should we pray?

WHAT PEOPLE SAY Adherents of various religions -such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, and Islam-have been taught to use beads to recite and count their prayers. 

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS Prayers should spring from the heart and be expressed with sincerity; they should not be learned by rote and repeated mechanically.  The Scriptures  urge us:  "When praying, do not say the same things over and over again as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need even before you ask him." -Matthew 6:7, 8. 

WHY IT MATTERS When prayers are offered in marriage not acceptable to God, the worshipper may well be wasting his time or possibly offending God. the Bible warns that prayers offered by those who refuse to comply with God's will are "detestable" to him. -Proverbs 28:9. 

Next time: Prayer- To whom should we pray?

From the Awake! magazine, 2014