He Hears Me
I heard a Pastor speak about how Abraham ‘prayed’ to God and how God listened to him. The scripture mentioned was in Genesis 18 about the plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham was pleading with God to spare the cities, bargaining on behalf of the righteous ones that may still be found there. God ultimately agreed not to destroy them if there were as few as ten righteous people among the wicked.
Well we all know that those cities reaped the punishment of the evil ways in which its citizens lived. But this was not the only case of God listening and changing his heart because of the cries of the faithful. There was another time in Abraham’s life where scripture clearly shows that God’s heart can be changed by prayer.
In Genesis 16 Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian maidservant becomes pregnant with Abram’s first son. She tries to run away because of the mistreatment she receives from her mistress. In the desert an Angel of the Lord speaks to her, telling her to go back home and informs her that her child will be a son. She is to name him Ishmael and that he will be a ‘wild donkey’ of man and will basically live in turmoil and hostility with those around him. He does not seem by this description to be going to lead a ‘blessed’ life.
However, later in the recounting of this patriarchs life, in Genesis 17 Abram is promised by God to become the father of many nations. God changes his name to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, pronouncing his blessing on them with a promise of a Son to be named Isaac. But in his doubt, in his disbelief that in his and Sarah’s advanced age that they could still become parents, Abraham says to God, “if only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
God assures Abraham that he can and indeed will become a father through Sarah and the covenant established will be with his son Isaac. And then he adds, “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.” Did you catch that? He heard him. He hears us, you and me. Abraham was not perfect. He was not special, he was a man who believed and was blessed for it. We, as believers, are heard just like Abraham and with our diligent, heartfelt believing prayers we too can change the heart of God. We are his children and he listens. Speak to him, he’s waiting.
