“Gather the riches of God’s promises. Nobody can take away
from you those texts from the Bible which you have learned by heart.”

Corrie Ten Boom

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto
their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

1 Peter 3:12 (KJV)

Peter repeated what David spoke about in Psalms 34:12-16. He included these words in his message to suffering Christians, because he wanted to give us hope and comfort. He believed with all his heart that God hears us! Peter’s life was filled with trials and persecution because of his faith, yet he knew the importance of putting all his trust in his Lord and Savior and persevered leaving a legacy that we can find encouragement in. We can cry out to the Lord and He will hear.

A PROMISE – God Hears Us!

There are so many examples of God hearing the prayers of those in the Bible. Let’s fill our hearts with the words of those that came before us and rest in the fact that God does hear us when we pray.

Joseph

Genesis 37:1-50:26

Joseph’s story is found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. (Genesis 37:1-50:26) He’s best known for the coat of many colors, a father that favored him, some crazy dreams, jealous brothers that sold him into slavery, a false accusation of assault leading to imprisonment, a rise in favor with the Pharaoh of Egypt, overseer during Egypt’s 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine, and most importantly, perseverance and forgiveness beyond measure. His story is a great reminder of all God can do in His time.

Through constant communication with his Heavenly Father, Joseph was able to sustain all his long-suffering and developed a strong witness for all the Lord can do by trusting in the fact that God heard him. My little summary doesn’t compare to the full story! I highly recommend you read through scripture and fill your heart with Joseph’s full story. It’s bound to give you the encouragement you are seeking.

I’ll just leave you with one more nugget of encouragement. Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery and it wasn’t until he was 30 that he became overseer of Egypt. This, my friends, is God’s timing in action! You might feel like God isn’t listening, but take heart HE IS and He will act in His time.

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“For, he said, ‘God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house…For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.'”

— Joseph, Genesis 41:51, 52 (ESV)

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Samson

Judges 13:1-16:31

Samson’s story is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Judges. (Judges 13:1-16:31) Have you heard the story of Samson and Delilah? Ok, so let’s back it up a bit! Samson’s birth was a miracle, because his mom was unable to conceive. Then an angel came to visit her and told her she was gonna have a baby and that the baby would rescue Israel from the Philistines. Her little baby boy was going to be dedicated to God and become Israelite’s next judge! (Which they needed, because the Israelites had turned away from God yet again. That’s where all these judges come into play if you read through the whole book of Judges.)

It’s important to note that the angel’s message to Samson’s mom included a very crucial child-rearing instruction that would make the rescue possible – DON’T CUT HIS HAIR!

So, Samson is best known for his hair AND his strength, and yeah, falling head-over-hills for Delilah. Samson made a mistake and told Delilah the one thing that caused his downfall. His hair was shaved while he slept, he lost his strength, and the Philistines captured him! But, in the end God came through (like He always does). Samson’s story ends with one last prayer to God. (Judges 16:28-30) God was there listening to Samson, He heard his plea and showed up. God gave Samson strength one last time and in verse 30 it tells us that Samson killed more Philistines at his death than he did while he was living. No matter what choices you make in life always remember God is there and He hears you.

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“O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes…Let me die with the Philistines.”

— Samson, Judges 16:28, 30 (ESV)

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David

1 Samuel 16:1-1 Kings 2:12

David’s story is also found in the Old Testament. (1 Samuel 16:1-1 Kings 2:12) He also wrote 73 chapters in the book of Psalms. David’s story is long, filled with excitement, heroism, sorrow, betrayal, greed, loyalty, the list goes on and on. You can say he’s best known for killing a giant with a slingshot when he was just a boy, and then rising to be one of Israel’s greatest kings. He sought after God’s own heart and his story teaches us so much! (It actually teaches me something new every single time I read it.)

His life was filled with loads of prayer and a ton of God’s deliverance. God continually heard, listened, and took care of David throughout his entire life. David knew without a doubt God was beside him along his journey. He felt God’s comfort and so can we.

Read his full story! Find out how flawed he really was, and then revel in the fact that God heard him despite it all. The words he graciously poured out into Psalms only helps us to see more clearly his own heart, so make sure to explore more by diving into all the Psalms he wrote. Let the words of his story and the hymns of praise he wrote lift you up and encourage you.

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“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies…In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.”

— David, Psalm 18:2, 3, 6 (ESV)

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Dive In Deeper – God Hears Us!

The faith Joseph, Samson, and David showed is the hope needed to face each day knowing God really does hear us. We can take heart knowing God is there for us and keeps His promises. These are not the only people in the Bible that chose to put their faith in our mighty Promise Keeper. The Bible is filled with countless stories to encourage and help us hold fast to this promise. Below are a few more for further study.

Keep Diving – God Hears Us!

Let God’s promises FILL YOUR HEART and don’t stop flooding it with His Word! As mentioned above, there really are countless stories found in the Bible to fill us with comfort when we’re struggling. We don’t have to wonder if He’s there, listening. We can stand firm knowing HE IS! Do some digging yourself! The stories mentioned here are just a few, I encourage you to find some others on your own. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and enjoy the search. Claim His promises and know He will see you through.

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