251. He's Listening

John 11:46

Have you ever felt like your prayers were pointless? Have you ever gone to the Lord in your heart with your list of troubles and then thought to yourself, “Why am I doing this? Is this even real?” I know I’ve felt that way before. I’ve wondered to myself at times whether or not talking to the Lord is just something we do to make ourselves feel better. Let’s face it, sometimes when we pray, it feels as though absolutely nothing happens. It feels like our prayers go out of our mouths, float weakly up to the ceiling like a helium balloon that’s a few days old and then pop, unimpressively on a sound-proof barrier of solid iron. In other words, if we’re honest, sometimes it feels like God is a million miles away when we need Him most. Here’s the thing: Our emotions are not always very helpful and can sometimes be downright misleading. For instance, have you ever had a misunderstanding with a friend that made you feel depressed and alone, but then made perfect sense when you heard the whole story? One time Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick. His sisters sent a letter (like a prayer) asking Jesus to come heal Him, but Jesus didn’t write back or do anything at all for two more days. Lazarus’ sisters probably thought Jesus didn’t care and that calling out to Him was pointless. Finally, Lazarus died. The sisters were heartbroken, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Jesus showed up and raised Lazarus from the dead. He didn’t do what the sisters wanted when they wanted Him to, but what He did was incredible. Jesus is listening, and His plans are going to rock your world in the end.