Daily Devotional

The Bible provides many reassuring verses confirming that God hears and answers the prayers of His people. 1 John 5:14 highlights a profound truth: you can have complete confidence that God is listening whenever you speak to Him. This verse emphasizes a beautiful partnership in prayer, noting that He hears us when we ask "according to His will." It shows that prayer isn't about changing God's mind, but about aligning our hearts with His perfect plans and trusting that He always desires what is best for us. These verses also remind me and help cement the compassion our God has in hearing and answering our prayers.

Psalm 34:17 — “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles.”
Psalm 18:6 — “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.”
Psalm 65:2 — “You who hear prayer, to You all mankind comes.”
Psalm 66:19–20 — “But God has heard; He has given attention to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer nor His favor from me.”
Psalm 116:1–2 — “I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my pleas. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”
Psalm 145:18–19 — “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry for help and save them.”
Proverbs 15:29 — “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”
Isaiah 65:24 — “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen.”
Jeremiah 29:12–13 — “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 33:3 — “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Matthew 7:7–11 — “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or what person is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? So, if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
John 15:7 — “If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 16:23–24 — “And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”
James 5:16 — “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.”
1 Peter 3:12 — “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”

I know that our God hears our prayers but the most difficult thing for me is when will He answer them. We have a number of friends and family that have been through and are still going through difficult situations in which we have all been praying. As sinful human beings, we want the prayers answered now God; but we wait patiently. It is so hard to wait on His perfect timing.

Sometimes it is Now
Sometimes it is Wait
Sometimes it is Never

God’s perfect timing is the quiet anchor behind 1 John 5:14. While the verse guarantees that He hears us the very moment we pray, scripture shows that His answers unfold according to the Master’s schedule as opposed to our schedule. When we sync our prayers to His will, we also sync our expectations to His calendar. Waiting on God's timing is not a sign of His absence, but a testament to His orchestration. He prepares us for the answer just as He prepares the answer for us. Lauren Daigle’s song “When God Says Not Yet” helps me understand this process.
“It’s not never. God is working while I wait.”
Lord, help me to always align my will with Yours





Lauren Daigle “When God Says Not Yet”

I prayed until the night was gone. Still waiting for the morning.
I asked You for a way ahead, but You gave me only silence.
I thought by now I’d see the change. I thought this storm would disappear.
But maybe you’re doing something deeper and waiting right here.
I don’t know what you’re preparing. I can’t see beyond today.
But I’ve learned that Your silence doesn’t mean You have walked away.
When God says not yet, it doesn’t mean never.
A delayed promise is still held by forever.
When I can’t see the answer, I remember what You said.
If You told me to keep waiting, then my hope is not dead. Not yet.
It’s not never. God is working while I wait.
Joseph dreamed beneath the stars before the prison and the pain.
David waited for the promise while hiding from his enemies.
Abraham held onto Your word. When the years kept passing by, they couldn’t see the ending but You were faithful every time.
Oh, I won’t measure Your goodness by how quickly prayers are answered. You see the road beyond my eyes and Your time and sees much farther. So, I’ll stop fighting and waiting. I’ll stop asking why so long. Maybe the place I call a delay is where you’re making my faith strong. When God says not yet, it doesn’t mean never. A delayed promise is still held by forever.
Oh, and I can’t see the answer.
I remember what You said. If You told me to keep waiting, then my hope is not dead. Not yet.
Oh, it’s not never. God is working while I wait.
What if the waiting has a purpose? What if the tears are watering faith?
What if the door I kept demanding would have taken me the wrong way? So, I surrender my tomorrow.
I surrender my win. If You’re asking me to wait, Lord. I’ll trust You again.
When God says not yet, it doesn’t mean never.  He is writing something greater than the future I remember.
I may not see the answer, but I know the One who speaks.
And if God says, “Wait, my child, I will wait on my knees. Not yet
He’s not never not forgotten, not forsaken.
God is working while I wait. So, I’ll wait
Not because I understand but because I trust You.
And when Your perfect moment comes, I know. You were working all along.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
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