VIDEO RECORDING OF THIS SERMON

THY PRAYER IS HEARD

This is a very short Wednesday night sermon to encourage us in one aspect of prayer.  The Lord hears us when we pray.  The angel said to Cornelius, in Acts 10:31, “Thy prayer is heard.”  It should be a great consolation and encouragement to us that when we pray the Lord hears us.  Therefore:

We should pray alway – Acts 10:2 – Cornelius was a man who “prayed to God alway.”  His prayers came “up for a memorial before God,” Acts 10:4.  This reminds me of Rev 8:3-4 where “the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God.”  And in Acts 10:31, the angel said, “Thy prayer is heard.” Notice the perfect timing of God’s answer to Cornelius’ prayers, the vision that he received, the vision that Peter received, the obedience of Peter in going to the Gentiles, the gathering of the kinsman to hear the gospel, and the marvelous opening of salvation to the Gentiles that resulted.  We should, like Cornelius, pray alway.

We should pray earnestly – Dan 10:2 – “Daniel was mourning three full weeks.”  And in Dan 10:12, the man that appeared to him said, “from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard.”  The Lord heard Daniel and he answered him.  The man said, “I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days,” Dan 10:14.

We should pray openly – Jn 11:41-42 – Jesus prayed before raising Lazarus from the dead and said, “I thank thee that thou hast heard me… I knew that thou hearest me always.”  Jesus knew that his Father heard his prayer and, therefore, he was not ashamed to let the others know that he had made his request to God.  The Lord heard him, and he will hear you.

We should pray confidently – 1 Jn 5:14-15 – “if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”  This is where our confidence comes from.  When you pray according to his will he hears you.  And when we know that he hears us, we “know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”  

Conclusion: so when you pray, just remember this one thing, “Thy prayer is heard.”