The God who listens

I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. Psalm 77:1

This morning I was listening to Dr. Mohler's Briefing, and in it he discusses an article in the New York Times entitled, "How to pray to a God you don't believe in." And the author of that article really does embrace what he calls "fictionalism," the idea that you can practice a religion that you don't think is really true. But such a religion is an empty parody of the real thing, and it is hard to understand (at least it is for me) why you would go to the trouble of practicing something that you know is not true.

Such was not the case with the psalmist. The God to whom he cried was not a figment of his imagination; indeed, this is a God who hears prayer, who really does listen to those who cry unto him. And he didn't just believe this; he experienced it.

In doing so, he is calling us to join him in raising our voices to God Most High, to present our needs to him, to cast our burdens upon him, and to be anxious for nothing but in everything to let our requests be known to God (Ps. 55:22; Phil. 4:6-7). God really does hear the prayers of his saints, and he invites us and even commands us to bring our supplications to the throne of heaven (Ps. 50:15).

With such an invitation, what are we waiting for? Let us be people of prayer, who draw near to the throne of grace through the atoning work and righteousness of Jesus Christ, God's own Son, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). For we are not talking into a busy signal or a disconnected line, but through Christ we have access by one Spirit unto the Father (Eph. 2:18).