Week 3: Hear from Heaven
“Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…”
Exodus 3:7-8
American culture is captivated by instant gratification. As our attention spans have waned, so has our ability to wait; to endure moments of discomfort and distress; even to understand why sometimes we shouldn’t get everything we want the moment we want it.
In such a culture, patient and persistent prayer to the God of the Universe is a radical idea. Prayer is stillness. Prayer takes time. Prayer requires honesty and, even sometimes, discomfort. Prayer acknowledges that we are not in control.
Through prayer, Christians are invited to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).
Not only is prayer counter-cultural to those outside the Church; often it’s misunderstood inside. Prayer is not a moment that we decide to spend in God’s presence, as if He lives in our world. Rather, prayer is a moment in which we discipline our hearts to focus on God’s constant presence.
Through prayer, we worship Him. Through that worship, we tune our hearts to His goodness. We remind ourselves of who He is, and of the gift of knowing and trusting Him. And yes, we bring him our supplications— because that is what Jesus told us to do when He said to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done (Matthew 6:10).
When our hearts are attuned to the goodness of God through prayer, we should have confidence that His will can become our will, too. When, in Week 3 Hear from Heaven More than Conquerors 14 our prayers, we “agree” with God’s will, the Bible offers reason for great confidence that He will answer, because “The Lord is near to all who call on Him” (Psalm 145:18).
Praying for the protection of preborn babies in a culture captivated by instant gratification, the worship of “individualism” and a growing disdain for the value of human life can feel like a futile endeavor. But let us remember, again, how God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 3 contains five of the most radical words in all of Scripture: “I have heard their cries.” And because He heard those cries, with a “mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 26:8), He brought justice.
Pray this week, with confidence in His goodness and His deliverance, that God would hear the cries of His people for the protection of new life. Pray that He would turn the hearts of mothers toward their children and away from fear, and that He would thwart all plans of the Enemy to persist in building a culture of death. Pray that His justice would “roll down like waters” (Amos 5:24). Pray that His kingdom would come, where every human life, no matter how new or small or “planned,” is valued and protected. Pray that His will would be done.
2 Kings 6:15–17 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire...
Psalm 20:6–7 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer
1 Chronicles 16:10–12 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered…
Psalm 37:4–7 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him...
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 John 5:14–15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
