“Answer me, LORD, answer me, so that this people will know that you, the LORD, are God, and that you are bringing them back to yourself." The LORD sent fire down, and it burnt up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench. 1 Kings 18:37-38, GNT

 

"Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock. Matthew 7:7-8, GNT

 

Recently, after watching a hockey game, I heard one of the players say that she would have loved to be the girl of the match for once in the season, but her coach never noticed her, even when she had played a very good game. I felt a great deal of sympathy for her, for there are few things in life more disheartening than never being noticed or always being ignored, and it’s even worse when nobody ever listens to you. Most of us need some affirmation from time to time.

 

In the story from the book of 1 Kings, we see Elijah on Mount Carmel. He is confronted by 450 prophets of the idol, Baal, and another 400 of the idol, Asherah. His task was to prove to the people gathered there, including King Ahab, that the God of Israel was the only true God. As you may know, the prophets of the two idols were totally unsuccessful, but when Elijah prayed and asked God, “Answer me, LORD, answer me, so that this people will know that you, the LORD, are God”, the Lord answered him immediately. God sent fire down to burn up the sacrifice, demonstrating that he is indeed the only true God.

 

In Matthew, Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, he utters these unforgettable words: “For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock.” The keyword here is “everyone”. God hears every one of us so clearly that not a single person will ask, seek or knock without him responding.

 

God hears us when we ask for our daily bread; he hears us when we ask for spiritual blessings; and above all, he hears us when we ask to enter through the door to eternal life.

 

Prayer: Thank you, dear Lord, that you are never deaf or too busy when we call you. Amen.