All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Listening God

I have seen the suffering of my people, because their outcry has come to me. 1 Samuel 9:16

Where is God when we’re in pain, when we’re suffering? It’s a question every faithful person has faced. We turn to God but don’t get an immediate answer, so we pray harder. Sometimes our souls grow weary. We assume the Almighty isn’t listening and doesn’t care.

The story of God appointing Saul as Israel’s first king lets us know that God does listen and respond to our prayers—not always the way we want, but in the way we need. Israel had prayed for a king. God told them they didn’t need a human king, for down that road lay certain disaster. Instead, the Almighty would be their king. Still they pleaded. Listening to their cries and knowing their suffering, God finally appointed Saul as their earthly ruler—not to replace God, but to be God’s instrument to deliver Israel from their enemies.

God always receives our prayers and knows our suffering. Sometimes God’s responses don’t fit our desired outcomes, but God listens and holds us in tender love.

Loving God, thank you for always listening to our prayers and giving us what we need. Give us increasing faith to trust You with every prayer we pray. Amen.

No Matter What

Bobbie Hoffman