READ: JEREMIAH 29:11-13, 33:2-3; ROMANS 8:26-27
I have always prayed before bed; it’s something my parents started doing with me when I was little, and it stuck. But there’s one problem with this: I’ve lost count of the number of times when, by the time I go to bed, my brain is so scrambled that all the words I have left seem like utter nonsense.
I feel guilty for this sometimes because I want to be able to talk to God, to coherently thank Him for my day and ask for His advice and His help. But I have to remind myself there’s no need to feel guilty, because even when I speak utter nonsense, God knows exactly what I mean. He wants to hear from me—and from all His people—no matter what we have to say or how coherently we are able to say it.
In Jeremiah 33:2-3, God reminds His people that He is the One who made the earth. Right after that He says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (verse 3). The Creator of the earth—of the entire universe—asks His people to call on Him. God doesn’t just tolerate our prayers; He desires them. And He promises to respond—though He may not respond how we expect Him to.
Hebrews 4:14-16 reminds us that, because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can approach our loving God with confidence, knowing He hears our prayers. How amazing is that? No matter if the prayer—or call—we make to Him is utter nonsense; He wants to hear from us. And what may seem like utter nonsense to me and you makes perfect sense to Him. • Kimberly Brokish
• Have you ever felt like you were praying utter nonsense? Bible passages like Psalm 139:1-4 and Romans 8:26-27 remind us that God knows what’s in our hearts and what we want to tell Him, and the Holy Spirit helps makes sense of our utter nonsense.
• How does it make you feel to know that the Creator of the universe wants to hear from you? What would you like to tell Him right now?
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)
Ayesha, you are under arrest for violating the curfew, the words echo inside. Tomorrow you are sentenced to the Ocean of Mistakes. “God, please...
Out of all the animals mentioned in the Bible (and there are over one hundred), sheep are the stars. They are found in the...
Hey, Jesus, we need to talk. I have to tell you about someone we both know. She tries to follow you, but she tends...