God Hears Everything

Welcome it's time for Our Daily Bread's words of encouragement power devotional writer for today is James Banks.

The reading is God hears everything.

One of the longest recorded postal delays in history lasted 89 years. In 2008, a homeowner in the UK received an invitation to a party originally mailed in 1919, to a former resident of her address. The note was placed in her mailbox via the Royal Mail. But the reason behind its long delay remains a mystery, even the best human efforts at communication. Sometimes let us down. But Scripture makes clear that God never fails to hear his faithful people in first Kings 18, Elijah demonstrated the striking contrast between the pagan God bail and Jehovah God in a showdown to demonstrate who the true God was.

After bales prophets had prayed for hours.

Elijah taunted them shout louder. Surely he is a God.

Perhaps he is deep in thought or busy, or traveling.

Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened then Elijah prayed for Jehovah to answer, so that his people might return to faith in God's power was clearly displayed while our prayers may not always be answered as immediately as Elijah's wise we can be assured that God hears them. The Bible reminds us in Revelation 5 that he treasures our prayers so much that he keeps them before him in golden bowls like precious incense God will answer every prayer in his own perfect wisdom and way. There are no lost letters in heaven. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional Scripture reading comes from first Kings chapter 18 verses 25 through 27 and verses 30 through 38 Elijah said to the prophets of bail. Choose one of the balls and prepare it first since there are so many of you call on the name of your God, but do not like the fire so they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of bail from morning till noon bail answer us. They shouted, but there was no response. No one answered.

And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them shout louder, he said surely he is a God. Perhaps he is deep in thought or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened and now verses 30 through 38 then Elijah said to all the people come here to me. They came to him and he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. Elijah took 12 stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come saying your name shall be Israel with the stones, he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold to sales of seed here. Arrange the wood cut the ball into pieces and laid it on the wood.

Then he said to them, fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering.

And on the wood do it again.

He said, and they did it again do it 1/3 time he ordered and they did it the third time, the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench at the time of sacrifice. The prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant, and have done all these things at your command, answer me, Lord, answer me so these people will know that you Lord our God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones in the soil and also licked up the water in the trench ballots break.

Father, thank you for always allowing us access to you, and for assuring us that you actually want to hear our deepest concerns. And now, for anyone who's listening who feels all alone. Maybe they feel like you've abandoned them. God or that they've done such terrible things that you no longer accept them. So Jesus please lift their eyes up so that they can see you and be reminded that you are there and that you do love them and that nothing can separate them from your life. Thank you father it's in your name Jesus that we pray. Amen on today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries