The Lines Are Always Open

Our Father answers prayer.  The phone lines are always open.  Its pretty plain and simple.  However Heaven doesn't have a direct dial phone system.  Jesus has to connect the call.

Matthew 21:18-22 says

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.

Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

and further, 1 John 3:21-24

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

God hears every prayer that is made to him, if we ask it in Jesus name.  Here's the proof:

John 16:23-27

In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.

In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.

No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

How about that eh?  Just wanted to make sure everybody understands the way this works...  We talk to God because we are friends with Jesus.  He doesn't know us any other way.  Think of it this way... Remember when you were a kid in school?  Well let's say you went to the supermarket and you saw a man or a woman you didn't know.. a stranger.  Would you speak to them?  Probably not.  Would they speak to you, and adult to a random child?  Certainly not.  Well that's God.  The Adult Supermarket Stranger.

And to top it off, we can't even LOOK at Him and make it out alive.  Per Exodus:

Exodus 33:18-23

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.

When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

BUT... At school today we met a friend, named Jesus.  And Jesus invited us over to His house to spend the night.  So we get to meet God.  And God is like, "Hey, I saw you at the supermarket the other day and I knew the moment I saw you I loved you.  Even more than I love Jesus."  So the next time you are at the supermarket getting groceries, you happen to run into God.  Well now since God knows you, through Jesus, He is like, "Hey kid, what's up?  Have you been good lately?  You haven't have you?  Wanna talk about it?"  I know it sounds goofy but I think it's easy to understand.

So "pray without ceasing", but let us all remember who's grace allows us the privilege.... and the next time you go to the supermarket, watch out for God, I've heard he's everywhere!

Thanks for reading.

In Christ,
Dan Darden.